Mirrors of Balance
by Dragonaia
Summary: Post-Defiance. Kain is presented a quest by a mysterious formless entity to discover a way to kill the Elder God. His journey takes him through a dimensional gate where he encounters an alternate Nosgoth, modern and free of the Squid's influence.
1. Chapter 1: The Voice Speaks

**Post-Defiance Fan Fiction: Mirrors of Balance**

**By: Dragonaia**

**Summary:** Takes place at the end of Legacy of Kain: Defiance. Kain is presented a quest by a mysterious nameless and formless entity to discover a way to kill the Elder God. His journey takes him through a dimensional gate where he encounters an alternate Nosgoth, free of the God's parasitic influence.

**Disclaimer: **The Legacy of Kain games belong to Eidos, not to me, much though I may wish it. The OOC involved in this fic belong to me however, Kainen/Katherine, the Voice, and the few secondary others. My retribution with be swift and horrifying.

**Author's Comments:** There is no SI. If you read it long enough you will realize why. This fic came about because I was always wondering why the Elder God would go to the trouble of banishing the Hylden. I mean, wouldn't that just mean less for him to eat? This story was my way of explaining it to myself, and also presents a version of Nosgoth without an Elder God to screw over its history. It's rated **T** for physical violence. There is no sexual content and never will be because if you knew the plot you would know that is a perfectly and horrifyingly offensive.

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**Chapter 1: The Voice Speaks**

Kain stood on the precipice, gazing down at the valley below. The view still saddened him, although he had seen it many times before. Though previous trips through the time-streamer had left him disoriented, he had but to look at the newly crumbling pillars to know exactly when and where he was. The Guardian Pillars had shattered, the Hylden been released, and the newly-revived Janos Audron possessed. The rule of the Sarafan Lord was just beginning. The world around Kain was writhing in an agony of chaos, and here he stood, the now-purified Scion of Balance thanks to Raziel's noble sacrifice, and he was supposed to be remedying it. For the first time in his ancient existence he was utterly lost.

Though still worn from his battle with the Elder God and in need of a good feeding, he decided it would be prudent to get his bearings and settle on a course of action before doing anything else. As always, the Pillars were a good place to start. On a high bluff overlooking them, Kain considered the sight thoughtfully. Where was he to go from here? Had Raziel's sacrifice freed _him_ from the parasitic wheel of fate? What other tricks did that loathsome invertebrate have in store for him? And the most important question of them all was: How in the name of all things holy and unholy was he to slay a soul-eating monster whose body ran the entire length of Nosgoth herself? If he was still human he'd have needed a strong drink right about now.

The sun had risen to its mid-day peak when Kain was awoken from his contemplations by the appetizing scent of human blood and the sound of hard leather boots scrambling for purchase on rocks as they made their way towards him. Thanking the fates for this small bit of good fortune, Kain wasted no time in misting back into the shadows of a rock overhang and wrapping his form in a thick blanket of shadow. As always, the vampiric hunger won out, but Kain was still not ravenous enough to ignore the implications of finding so convenient and negligent a prey item here. Ariel's haunting of the pillars had driven most humans away, which begged the obvious question of why this one was venturing so near.

While Kain was conscious enough to ask himself that question, he was too hungry to care about the answer by the time the hooded figure cleared the lip of the final slope and came into view. Kain had the briefest glimpse of pale flaxen hair as he yanked the human's rough woollen hood from its head and drove his fangs into its neck. The hot liquid bursting into his mouth only heightened his appetite and he was not satisfied until he had drawn out every single drop of heart-blood out through the jugular. Licking the dark life-blood from his lips, he dropped the lifeless corpse to the ground, his hunger sated. In fact, he felt completely sated… unnaturally sated, as if he had just consumed a month's worth of blood in one go. It was the strangest phenomenon he had ever experienced in a long time. Had he evolved another Dark Gift without realizing it?

His growing unease and confusion was only heightened by the fact that the body had vanished without a trace. Where there should have been a body there was nothing, not even a droplet of blood or a stray hair. The only reassurances Kain had that he had not finally succumbed to madness, was the clear trail of boot-prints, the scuffed ground where the body should have lain, and the strange heavy feeling of being completely satiated.

"How is that…." Kain began aloud, taking a cautious step backwards, but the question was interrupted.

"That sure took you long enough Kain," a voice said in annoyance. "I expected you to jump me twenty minutes ago when you first became aware of my approach. Your instincts seem to have been dulled by the years old vampire. Surely you're not finally beginning to feel your age?"

Kain growled in anger at the jibe and looked around. His yellow eyes narrowed as he searched for the mysterious voice's source, but it was in vain. There appeared to be nothing to see. "Show yourself coward." He drew the Soul Reaver, the eye sockets glowing faintly blue with Raziel's protective spirit.

"Now, now Kain," the Voice clucked disapprovingly. It sounded almost as if it was standing right in front of Kain's face, but the space was empty. "There's absolutely no reason to be rude. After I went to all the trouble of hauling that mortal shell all the way up here to provide you with the sustenance you require. I even damaged the meat suit to put the scent of blood in the wind and whet your appetite. You needn't be ungrateful about this. I've come to give you the guidance you seek." The Voice had a strange sexless quality to it, and even as Kain licked the last traces of blood from between his teeth, he was inexplicably unable to tell if it had come from a male or a female.

"I believe I've had enough guidance to last be a lifetime thank you." Kain answered bad-temperedly. "And I've had enough experience with disembodied voices to last me several more. Show yourself or be gone. I do not have patience for these games of yours. What are you and what do you know of my quest?"

"Much Kain," it replied, "I know much. I've been watching the actions of both yourself and the son imprisoned in your sword there since the very beginning, even jumping through the Time Streamer and spatial vortexes behind you when I could. You are quite an interesting specimen to study Scion. Your existence has been of very keen interest to me."

"I'm flattered," Kain said dryly. "But you still haven't answered my questions, and I refuse to deal with something I cannot see. So I will say this for the last time: Show yourself!"

"Temper, temper Kain," the voice clucked disapprovingly. "I will show you my true form at your insistence, but it will not answer any of your questions and will probably only succeed in confusing you even more than you already are. I will apologize in advance for this. Behold the majesty of an unfettered soul Scion, for as things stand you shall not be fortunate enough to see one again."

Kain didn't even have time to shelter his eyes before the air in front of him suddenly ignited in a brilliant ball of iridescent light. He had the briefest glimpse of shield-sized globe of radiance swirling like an orb of shimmering water, before closing his eyes and turning them away, though it did little good, the light penetrating right through the closed lids. Sweltering heat pressed against his body, causing beads of blood-sweat to trail down his torso. He raised the Reaver up to protect himself and was amazed to see that while the blade absorbed a little of the light, lessening the intensity to his vampiric eyes, it was still not enough. Within moments the blade too was as satiated as Kain. Somehow, the vampire instinctually realized what he was looking at; the very essence of light and spirit made physical.

"Please," Kain found the word slipping from him before he could choke it back. Self-preservation and natural fear overrode his empirical pride just long enough for two more words. "Please stop."

"Certainly," the Orb replied smoothly and with no little smugness, though the tone conveyed no hostility. The light dimmed until he was able to behold the Voice without its aura, a blue sphere of rotating semi-liquid, semi-gaseous energy. "You had only to ask Scion. I would be honoured to answer your questions to the best of my abilities. I am not quite sure what I am… or rather what I was. All I am certain of is that I am an ancient spirit, a lost soul, and that I am quite possibly millennia old. Long ago I forgot everything about my former existence, which brings me to why I am offering you my assistance.

I would have come forward earlier in your adventures, but that seemed unwise considering that would mean I would have to tell you about the False God and his parasitic Wheel. You had to see that for yourself. It is not something most people can be told about, only experienced.

One of the few things I know for certain about my past is that the Elder is even older than I am, and considering I can remember the arrival of the Vampire and Hylden races upon these shores, that is a very long time ago indeed. I believe it was the God who took most of my memories from me, but I can still distinctly remember running from that vile invertebrate's tentacles to avoid being spun into its so-called 'wheel'. It took a piece of my soul with it, but I managed to escape. I've been drifting the ethereal and material planes thither and yon for a while now, always careful to stay away from that abomination's methods of detection, using secret dimensional pockets and slipstreams. I have become adept enough at it to put Azimuth the Planar to shame, but I digress.

I have come to you Kain, because I believe I may have found a way to kill my enemy, but I lack the physical body with which to retrieve the method, and to execute it properly. I require your help."

Throughout the Voice's cryptic narrative Kain had held his tongue, carefully considering everything it said, but at that last his spine straightened angrily and he growled his distaste at the entity. "You need me to do your dirty-work for you," he snarled furiously, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Technically no," the Voice replied blithely, not the least bit disturbed by the vampire emperor's ill-humour. "I need you to find someone else to do my dirty work for me. You lack the patience, the experience, the technical skill and quite frankly the finesse to do what is required. As for why I am approaching you, well there are several reasons. Some of which include that the purified Reaver allows you to see both the Elder and me, you were already endeavouring to complete the same task and could possibly get in my way if I left you uninformed and unfettered, you are one of the few who could convince them to come, and that bringing those people here requires the direct assistance of the Guardian of Balance."

"I am glad you find me suitable for your purposes, but I'm afraid I must refuse your generous offer." Kain sheathed the Soul Reaver solidly into his harness and began to turn away back down the hill. He'd walked no further than a few steps before he was seized by a feeling of nausea he hadn't experienced since he was human. He stopped dead in his tracks, bending over a little and trying to keep from passing out.

"All I ask is that you hear me out Kain," the Voice persisted and loosened its spell little by little, allowing the vampire to clear his head. "I will make it as brief and concise as I possibly can. Have you ever wondered why the Elder ordered the Ancient Vampires to banish the Hylden? It didn't make sense. Surely that would just mean fewer souls for him to consume with an entire race trapped in an alternate dimension. I can tell you why he did it, and it had very little to do with religion. You don't have to believe in the Elder to have him devour you.

The Hylden were making great progresses with their sciences, and it wasn't long before they discovered the presence of the Elder God beneath Nosgoth's deceptively tranquil surface. They didn't realize what he truly was of course, but they feared him, feared what they guessed he was doing. And as all three of us know, your sword included, their guesses were correct. Before they even had an inkling of the gravity of the situation, they were experimenting with ways to kill him. It was then that the Elder God recognized the Hylden at last as a threat to his existence. He ordered his loyal followers, the deluded Ancient Vampires to exterminate them. You are already familiar with the results of that particular action. The Hylden were banished, the Vampires cursed, and the Pillars were raised. What you do not know is that in the last few hours before their banishment, the Hylden scientists had perfected a method to kill the false Elder, and the dimensional rift they were cast into was a last ditch effort to prevent them from using it. Buried deep within a glacier in the Northern Mountains, past the hollow remains of Dark Eden, you will find a buried Hylden stronghold, with the secret to destroying the Elder God encapsulated within."

"And you want me to seek out the secret for you?" Kain asked cynically. He began to feel sympathy for Raziel, always caught up in someone else's manipulations and being ordered about like a piece on a chess board.

"No, I do not. I already told you," If the Orb could have let out an exasperated sigh it would have. "You would be a Vampire trying to break into one of the original Hylden fortifications encased in ice. That would be suicide even under the best of circumstances. Even were that not the case, you would be ill-equipped to manipulate the technology. Fortunately, I know of a place where there are people with experience in similar technology and even how to defeat creatures like the Elder. I simply wish you to retrieve these people for me."

"And what if I refuse?" Kain crossed his arms stubbornly across his chest.

"I am not forcing you to do anything for me Kain. It is your choice. If you do not wish to assist me, then all I ask is that as Balance Guardian you use your influence over the Pillars to open the dimensional gate I require. You needn't step through it. I will simply try and find another way to obtain the aid I require."

"Why do you need a dimensional gate?" Kain asked, reluctantly interested. Even if the Voice was treacherous, it was certainly a compelling orator.

"The being I require is not from this dimension. The dimension I speak of is free from the influence of the Elder God and creatures like him. The inhabitants learned not long ago how to defend themselves and have proven to be extremely efficient at it. I warn you Kain; it is not a place you would feel comfortable, nor would you be entirely welcome. What I propose is a quick trip, there and back, and then returning the being back were it belongs when this whole affair is over. It is that simple."

"That is all you require from me?" he couldn't help but be sceptical.

"Yes."

"Who is this being I am to retrieve?"

"Why Kain," the Voice laughed, "You are to retrieve yourself."

Kain blinked in surprise. "I don't understand. I am here. Is this another case of time manipulation?" He was extremely uneasy about this now.

"No," the Voice corrected him, "Not you as you are now. He is an alternate you, born to a different place, a different universe, but a parallel one. He is your doppelganger. You will notice many similarities between you, but many differences as well. We cannot keep him away from his home for very long; like you he is a Balance Guardian after all. That would be too dangerous for his world, but he has no love for beings like the Elder, and if you ask him correctly he will quite willingly assist you, vampire or not."

"What do you mean 'vampire or not'?" Kain asked. He had not anticipated this turn of events. "He is human then?"

"Yes," the Voice replied simply.

"And he will know how to defeat the God and his Wheel of Fate?" Kain was obviously unconvinced.

"Yes."

"You truly expect me to agree to do this?"

"Well I hope you will," the Voice said, "You may not understand completely now, but once you get there you will."

Kain chuckled darkly. "And how do I know you aren't lying? This could just be a plot of the false God to get me out of the way, seal me away like you claim he did to the Hylden."

"I'm made purely of spirit, Kain," it seemed to feel the answer was evident. "I am incapable of lying. I am emotion made visible. You would be able to tell. And even were that not the case, you have no idea what to do. Isn't it worth the risk if there's even a small chance I'm telling the truth?"

Kain said nothing, considering the matter thoughtfully. The spell the Voice had cast on him was a powerful one; the strange being could have easily killed him. This seemed a little elaborate for a plot when other methods would have been so much simpler. There were less convoluted ways to assassinate someone. The warm pulses sent out by Raziel inside the Reaver strapped to his back encouraged him to listen to what the Voice had said. If Raziel agreed, then it was decided.

"Very well then," he said at long last. "I accept your offer. How do we begin?"

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**(Please Review. I'll continue _more quickly_ if I get some support. I hope I did Kain's character justice, though my sister says it sounds a lot like him.)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Portal Opens

**Post-Defiance Fan Fiction: Mirrors of Balance**

**By: Dragonaia**

**Disclaimer: **The Legacy of Kain games belong to Eidos and the Silicone Knights, not to me, much though I may wish it. The OOC involved in this fiction belong to me however, Kainen/Katherine, the Voice, and the few secondary others. My retribution with be swift and horrifying.

**Author's Comments:** All right, I'll confess. There is a little bit of SI, if only because the Voice reminds me of me, and talks a hell of a lot like me. I know Kain may have shown a little more humility than normal, but you have to remember that this takes place immediately after Defiance, like ½ an hour after. He's not quite recovered. Also, it's not like he can kill the Voice anyway. It doesn't have a body so it's kind of pointless to get mad at it. Also, I'll be doing a Kain-style voice over for the beginning of the next chapter because somebody asked me about that. I tend to avoid writing in first person because it throws off my narration, but I shall make the effort for you my loyal readership (Yes Angie that includes you).

**Chapter 2: The Portal Opens**

Kain stood in the middle of the platform, kicking aside smouldering bits of broken stone with one cloven foot and surveying the destruction.

"What transpires next?" he asked haughtily. "Am I to be dazzled by the brilliance of your power again, or has this devastation put a kink in your masterful plans?"

"I know it is your way vampire, but I could do without the arrogance," the Voice replied patiently, its ghostly form coming to hover near him. "The Pillars have been weakened yes, but there are sufficient resources to suit our purposes. When the Hylden broke free from their hellish prison they created myriad dimensional tears. By utilizing one of those planar rips you should be able to open the portal entailed. With the Hylden distracting the Elder, hopefully he will not detect our movements until it is too late. This is actually the optimal point in the timeline to be attempting this."

"_Should_?" Kain eyed the glowing entity imperiously. "What do you mean by 'should'? You neglected to mention there was a chance I may not succeed. That hardly sounds encouraging. And suppose I do fail; what then? Will you show me how to enter the buried stronghold without the assistance you bid me to seek?" Kain didn't bother to disguise the expectation in his tone. The sword now strapped to his back was all the assistance he'd ever needed in the past, and he had no intention of changing that.

"I'm afraid not," the Voice spoke with a strange sort of fell amusement, as if inwardly chuckling at some morbid inside joke. "It would fall ill with you if you were to try and arrange a failure Kain. The portal will either open to where we intend it to go, or it will trigger a cataclysmic chain reaction that will cause reality to come apart at the seams and destroy Nosgoth and every living _and_ non-living thing existing on it. In either case my goal is accomplished."

"And what goal is that?" Kain asked guardedly, taken aback at the being's words. Every time he thought he had the measure of the thing it would say or do something that would set him off-kilter again. His talons twitched to grasp at the hilt of the Reaver, though he knew that even the Soul Blade would do very little to the thing.

"The destruction of the Elder God of course," the Voice replied simply. "Certainly the scenario where I survive to gloat is the preferable outcome. So you needn't worry that I will deliberately sabotage you. If I was going to end existence I'd have done it millennia ago, or when I last had the chance."

"Well I certainly feel _most_ reassured now," came the sarcastic reply.

"Now, now Kain; let's not be humble," the spirit answered flippantly. "It's not like you've never held the fate of the world in your hands before. Of course it didn't really work out all that well last time, now did it?" It let out something that could have approximated a chuckle. Kain shot it a vicious glare, but it was obvious his reaction was being pointedly ignored.

"You needn't question my motives," it continued on a more serious note. "I still retain some vestiges of mortality in the form of pale emotions, however diluted by the ages they are. I do not wish for the world to end, I just want to kill the Elder. It's not as if the future world the Elder would create will be really worth living in anyway. You've seen it Kain; you know. Most souls would thank me for sparing them that pointless round of meaningless existence and inevitability."

"I am more than aware of the implications," Kain snapped. "That is why I am here. Now tell me; how do you propose to open this portal and what do you require from me. How am I going to be of any assistance to you at all? I am a warrior, not a sorcerer, or at least not to the degree you seem to expect."

"I know that vampire, but you are the Scion, and that is all that matters. Writhing in their death-throes or not, the Pillars will obey your will."

Kain took another evaluating stare at the debris around him. "It's all very well for you to make such grandiose claims spirit. It's quite another thing altogether to see you fulfill them. Not all things are that simple. If they were, I would have slain the Abomination in the bowels of the Citadel instead of trailing along after you in pursuit of this ridiculous escapade. If you wish my help, tell me what must be done. Given the nature of things, I suspect that a series of pointless, difficult quests and puzzles lie in my immediate future."

"Not so," the Voice corrected him cheerfully. "I have already armed you with the tools you will need. See?" A blue glow alighted on the hilt of the Reaver, illuminating the completed Balance Emblem. "Imagine my surprise when Moebius mistook my silent presence for that of his 'benevolent' deity. Apparently I wasn't as well-cloaked as I'd thought. And who was I to enlighten him of the truth? It was an opportunity I was simply incapable of passing up. Even now I bet that the Elder has no idea that his most loyal vassal was following a set of orders he'd never issued. He was so busy chasing after you and Raziel that he never had time to catch my scent." There was no missing the immense satisfaction radiating from the entity.

"I did think it strange that Moebius would go to such lengths to arm his enemy so effectively," Kain confessed grudgingly, removing his sword to scrutinize the Balance Emblem carefully. He managed to keep from his expression how truly shocked he was. If what the Voice said was truth, what an awesome feat it must have been to deceive the nigh on omnipotent Time-Streamer. "I always assumed it was because he was trying to lure me into place for my eventual murder at Raziel's hands."

"That's what he thought, and those were his true orders. I could hardly contradict them overtly without arousing his suspicions," the Voice admitted pleasantly. "I only encouraged him to use slightly more creative means to do so. He had no intention of using that powerful vampiric artefact before I suggested it. Believe me; that took some _very_ careful manipulation to accomplish. It is no mean feat attempting to out-slither a snake; especially when you find yourself unable to lie."

Kain chuckled darkly. "Indeed. I imagine that would be very difficult." He wasn't entirely sure if he believed what the Voice was telling him, but it certainly would explain a few things. There was an undeniable ironic appeal to the image of the master manipulator being out-foxed by a being apparently incapable of committing a falsehood. "And on that note, I propose we proceed with this insanity then. How is the Emblem to be used?"

"Over here," the Voice indicated, shooting through the air to hover near the base of the broken Dimension Pillar. "The symbol hides a panel beneath. The crest has to be turned out of the way." Again the blue glow radiated a halo around the object in question, a bronze disc coated with a thick layer of acid-green enamel and bearing the Ancient-Vampire symbol of dimension.

Kain hesitated only a moment before grasping the disc in his talons and wrenching it forcefully to the side. It lifted away to reveal a metal setting built into stained and cracked white marble. He didn't need any further instructions. He pressed the Balance Emblem back into place, clamped the metal clasps shut and took a few steps back. To his surprise, nothing happened.

"Did I do something incorrectly?" he asked the entity, "Or has the crumbling of the pillar thrown off the mechanics of the device?"

"No, it just hasn't been activated yet. I'll complete the preparations; you be ready to get to work," the Voice instructed decisively. There was a sharp blast of light and a cloud of fluorescent mist coalesced in the air above them. The glowing particles drifted to the ground where they gathered into vast geometrical shapes and patterns of symbols along the surface of the platform, somehow managing to weave their way under the mountains of debris. "Now Kain!" it ordered, "Press your palm to the middle of the Emblem and push!"

The vampire threw his weight behind his taloned hand and the device clicked securely into place with a rusty cry of protest. As he drew away reflexively, the Emblem began to rotate in its setting, whirling faster and faster until the eye could no longer follow it. The remains of the shattered pillar became ringed with loops and bands of green light, the webs of luminescence expanding to encompass all of the other pillars. As the light touched the central Balance Pillar, Kain was seized by a profound lethargy as he felt his energy slowly bleed away to feed the spell he'd set in motion. The blue markings the entity had set down shifted in colour from blue to aquamarine, and then to the same blindingly bright green as the energy web feeding itself into the Pillar of Dimension. A crack of thunder rang through the air and the glowing markings faded, their pale phosphorent shapes dissolving into the air like trailing steam.

"Nothing has happened," Kain said, looking about him curiously. "There is no portal, but unless I'm mistaken there's no resulting cataclysm either. I dare say you did not anticipate this turn of events, did you spirit?" He was feeling a little disappointed after that spectacular display of energy. The persistent ache in his stomach finally alerted him to the fact that the sensation of unnatural fullness had lifted and he was beginning to suffer from the pangs of blood-hunger again. It was an intense relief.

The Voice didn't deign to respond, merely drifting back several paces from the centre of the dais. That was all the warning Kain had before the second wave of deafening resonance struck, followed closely by a third and a forth until each rolling peal of thunder blended into another in a roaring chaotic symphony of terrifying proportions. Even the Voice, insubstantial as it was, pulled away and seemed to diminish a little under the sheer force of it.

The noise soon reached a point where Kain was able to pull his hands away from his sensitive ears and look around. He could tell it was still ringing out across the countryside because he could see the trembling leaves, the shaking dust on the ground, bits of rock falling loose from the surrounding cliffs, and droplets of water jumping across the surface of nearby puddles. While he could no long hear it, he could still feel the vibration penetrating through the soles of his feet and rattling his teeth in their sockets. The entity must have been able to hear even beyond what the vampire lord could, because it was continuing to cringe away from the Pillars. Then the world stilled and there was an awful silence.

"Is that-" Kain's hesitant sentence was cut off by a sharp explosion, like the sound of a sheet of glass being torn apart and the pieces falling to shatter on stone. It was so much louder than anything he'd ever heard before, even the shattering of the Pillars themselves. For the briefest of moments Kain feared that the world had ended, or that he had somehow managed to tear Nosgoth itself cleanly in half. He hadn't realized he'd closed his eyes again until he found himself slowly cracking them open to behold the damage he'd newly wrought upon the world.

Not six feet from where he stood was a large black circle cleaving a cookie-cutter shaped hole into the air at the centre of the dais. Around that mysterious gap shimmered a semi-transparent sphere of energy, forming a protective shield around it.

"It would appear we were successful. How fortuitous!" the Voice remarked happily, recovering well before the vampire. "It would seem the stock-piled energy reserves I gave to you up on the cliffs were sufficient, considering that our venture has succeeded and you survived the attempt. I am most relieved. I would not have had enough energy to make another effort."

"Energy reserves?" Kain glanced at the entity in consternation. "I don't seem to recall you imparting me anything, and something tells me I would have remembered something like that."

"I don't normally go out of my way to feed whatever hungry vampire crosses my path, the messiah apparent or otherwise." It circled the black hole leisurely. "Surely you aren't so arrogant as to believe you did this entirely on your own? Do you have any idea how many elite Vampire sorcerers it took to open one of these things in the first place? Without the resources of other guardians upon which to draw, I was forced to lend you a great deal of my own power."

"And you neglected to tell me this because…" he prompted irritably.

"Because you may have rejected my offer and in that case I might have been forced to retrieve what I had conferred upon you. That would have not been pleasant for either of us. I thought it best you made the decision without that knowledge in mind. It also prevented you from seizing upon the ridiculous notion that you could try to keep it from me."

Kain winced at that and let out a small hiss of disbelief. He had his own strengths and gifts; he certainly didn't need the dubious blessing the Voice's powers might provide him with.

"Do not be offended by my words Kain. I have taken enough risks already by revealing myself to you so openly and by utilizing so much of my energy. If the Elder were to come for me now I would be virtually helpless, with only my knowledge of the ether for defence. I would have preferred not to have gambled so much against such mounting odds, but this seemed to be the only way." The vampire did not miss the soft apprehension and muted hope in that last sentence. Perhaps it was wondering if it had made the right decision by trusting him

Kain allowed his proud head to nod wearily. He could sympathize with that. He'd made a very similar decision when he'd ordered Raziel cast into the Lake of the Dead. Even to this day he was still wondering if it had been the correct course of action to take. Shaking away the traces of dark memories that train of thought had begun to take him down, he turned his mind to the present by inspecting the portal he'd made with the Voice's precise help.

The closest thing he could liken it to was the portal that the Elder had crafted for him to attend his murder at Avernus. Except where the space had warped into a centre point in that case, this portal seemed to be an ever-expanding pin-prink of nothingness in the fabric of the universe.

"There is one thing I still do not understand spirit," Kain finally asked, coming back around the other side of the vortex to face the Voice as closely as he dared to. He was careful to keep his distance from both it and the glittering barrier. "How is it you not only knew how to open the portal, but what lay on the other side of it? Where did you gain this knowledge? I trust you with your own powers just about as much as you trust me with them."

"That's easy enough to deduce on your own little emperor," it responded with a sigh in its voice. "I was there when the Ancients built the Pillars in the first place. You know _some_ immortal beings actually do something with their lives besides hedonistic indulgence and fulfilling delusions of their own greatly inflated self-worth. Do you truly believe that the Ancients didn't browse about a little before finding the 'perfect' place to seal the Hylden? They couldn't allow their enemies not to be punished and spare their suffering. It took several months at least of trial and error to discover just the right method to even open an inter-dimensional gateway of a sufficient size. It was around the fourth or fifth try that they stumbled upon a place that was a great interest to me, if only because it seemed to unnerve the false God so. As soon as it was opened he immediately ordered it shut and the calculations that had led to that place burned and forgotten. Well, of course that peaked my interest. Before the markings from the failed effort were wiped away I committed them to memory and sent as many scrying spells through the gap as I could before it was closed. Some of those spells are still active, giving me a limited view of what is taking place on the other side. I've been piecing the information together for a while now, and decided that this moment would be the best time to-"

The Voice's boastful monologue was interrupted by a loud cry from nearby. "Halt vampire!" and a blast of bright light sailed through the air in Kain's direction.

Kain simply avoided the blow by dissolving his body and allowing the wave of energy to pass by harmlessly. The female vampire hunter crept from behind the Pillar of Conflict, near to where the Voice sat hovering in mid-air. Either the human sorceress hadn't seen the entity, or she couldn't, because she stepped right in front of the spirit's luminous presence. Her fist clenched and she prepared to cast another spell at the vampire.

Stomach knotted in hunger, Kain prepared to strike first. "And I was so hoping for a last-minute snack." He allowed a pleased grin to touch his lips.

"We don't have time for this Kain," the Voice admonished him sternly. "I'll take care of the nuisance."

The human's shocked face whipped around towards the source of the mysterious words, and finally beheld the entity with a mixture of fear and awe. Before Kain could move to take advantage of this distraction, the Voice had already taken action. It's glowing presence wrapped around the human before she could resist. Her head flew back and it looked as if she was about to scream, but instead of sound a thin stream of ghostly energy trailed forth, looking much like the substance the Voice was composed of. The Voice drank in that energy and seemed to take strength from it as its natural glow increased slightly. Once there was no more energy pouring forth from the human, the spirit allowed the empty body to drop to the dais floor. The vampire hunter was clearly dead.

"I decided that my needs for sustenance were greater than yours vampire," the Voice said by way of explanation. "The Elder and his minions do not have the market completely cornered on the devouring of souls, as you and your son well know."

"How generous of you to think of my needs," came the sarcastic retort. Kain's hunger was sharpening his temper.

"I am thinking of your needs." There was no mistaking the offended pride. "I never do anything without purpose. Now watch. You may find what I'm about to do familiar." As it spoke the entity unravelled itself into a long tail, like a snake made of lightening and clouds. The phantasmal ribbon curled around the body of the human as it was lifted up into the air, arms dangling listlessly. Then the tip of the ribbon turned abruptly and plunged into the vampire hunter's still open mouth, burying its entire length into the hovering corpse. As the last of the spirit disappeared into the human's body, the shell was dropped to the ground again with a clatter of limbs and armour.

Kain took a cautious step towards it, but he wasn't surprised when the body suddenly sat up, gasping for air and heartbeat erratic. The Voice was correct again. It had been a long while since he'd last done it, but he had spirit walked inside somebody else's body before.

"I hate this." The Voice spoke awkwardly using the woman's throat, but still managed to convey that strange surreal quality of neutrality. "I've never been able to function a shell correctly. The pulse is the worst. I hate the sound of it, but I can never get it to beat evenly like it should be. Any vampire with a decent set of ears, and half of the predatory animal species can tell I'm not supposed to be in here. I'm most glad this is temporary." It was breathing heavily with the human's lungs and blinking repeatedly. He had expected a blue glow to radiate from the human's eyes, like Raziel's had done, but they still retained their dark brown tone. The Voice forced the body to climb a little unsteadily to its feet. It was completely obvious that whatever resided inside the body wasn't human in any way; the movement was all wrong.

"And how does this benefit me in any way?" Kain asked, watching the woman's body cautiously as it began to settle into something that vaguely resembled normalcy.

"And I thought I spent too much time alone," the Voice responded, its human face giving him an aggravated roll of the eyes. "While you're on the other side retrieving what we need, I will stay on this side and ensure that no one closes the portal on you. It will be impossible for you to reopen it from that side, and I am not strong enough to do it from this side for you. Being inside this shell will mask my presence from the Elder, so that should buy us some time before he realizes what we've done."

There was a cry of loud raucous voices and both immortal beings realized that a team of hunters were fast approaching on the trail of their missing comrade.

"Go Kain," the Voice encouraged, the human hand giving him a little push of encouragement in the portal's direction. "We've not much time to loose. I will make sure the hunter's do not follow you. Hurry." Whatever clumsiness the spirit had first experienced in the sorceress' body was fast leaving it.

"How will I find what I'm looking for on the other side? What can you tell me about that place?" Kain asked, making no moves towards the portal.

"What you seek will find you. That is the nature of the place. You will see a great many familiar faces, but remember that your quest is to retrieve yourself from that place. As for the city, for I believe that is where the other side of the portal emerges, it will greatly resemble Meridian, though a far more wholesome version of that. Do not cause trouble and be very careful when, where, and who you feed on. That is all I can tell you. Now go!" The small troupe of humans had come into view and having spotted the two figures standing by the pillars, was preparing to charge. The Voice threw open the woman's hand and the hunter's abandoned staff flew into it.

"Are you sure you will be able to do this?" Kain regarded the hunters coldly. He hesitated to go towards the gateway, uncharacteristically concerned, though he told himself he was just reluctant to entrust such a strange creature with his safety. The Voice reminded him of the Seer, one of the few beings in existence who had not attempted to manipulate him. Somehow he knew that the Voice was being completely forthright in its intentions, if only because the dishonest did not risk entrusting others with their secrets, and the Voice had practically laid its life in his hands. It must truly be desperate if it would attempt to curry the favour of someone with his reputation. A long-dormant human part of him held him back, just to be sure.

The Voice didn't respond. It raised one of its hands and a small rock levitated from the ground until it was level with its fist. Then the rock streaked away from the hand faster than the eye could see. The Voice's stolen mouth curved into a clumsy little smile as one of the leading hunters, a huge man with a giant hammer, crashed limply to the ground without a sound, one of his eyes pierced through. It raised the staff and a bolt of lightening streaked from the sky, incinerating two humans and injuring a third. The entity's smile became a little more malicious as the screams reached them. It opened its mouth and thin little streams of energy poured inside, feeding the monster hidden within.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Kain nodded his head in acknowledgement and stepped into the portal. It wasn't just a sense of displacement that seized him, but the feeling that he was being crushed and squeezed though a long, thin tunnel. Kain caught his breath as he was pulled along into the blackness of the void, the weight of the Reaver pressed reassuringly against his back.

**(Even I'm not quite sure what the Voice is exactly, or rather **_**was**_** when it was alive. If anyone has got any suggestions it would be nice to hear them. Again, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to write the next chapter quickly.)**


	3. Chapter 3: The Alternate Realm

**Post-Defiance Fan Fiction: Mirrors of Balance**

**By: Dragonaia**

**Disclaimer: **The Legacy of Kain games belong to Eidos and the Silicone Knights, not to me, much though I may wish it. The OOC involved in this fiction belong to me however, Kainen/Katherine, the Voice, and the few secondary others. My retribution will be swift and horrifying.

**Author's Comments:** The alternate dimension is a modernized world very similar to ours. I included a Kain-perspective voiceover in the beginning because someone asked me to, though I switched back to normal narration for the remainder. I also could not help but have Raziel still sentient within the sword. As much as I love Kain's 'conquer-the-world' attitude, he's my favourite character and I would have missed him.

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**Chapter 3: The Alternate Realm**

_As I stepped from the portal I beheld something that even my old eyes had never seen before. Beneath me lay a field of glittering lights and towering spires, each one glowing from inside with thousands of points of luminescence. Such was the strength of the illumination around me that the streets seemed to be bathed in the full strength of daylight though no sun was present overhead, and the clouds burned in reflected radiance. The roar of engines and other mysterious machinations reached my ears, a rising cacophony of sound that put the most ferocious thunderstorm I'd ever heard to shame. Meridian indeed, that place could not even compare._

_I was standing on the roof of one of those high buildings, the surface flat and covered in a thick layer of gravel. A few feet from where I stood was a house built of glass containing a patch of wild greenery, and next to that was a ramshackle shed from which I could detect the sleeping coos of pigeons and other small birds. Several metal projections stood up out of the roof, including what I assumed was a door to the lower levels of the building. I approached the edge of the roof, peering down at the streets far below. Tiny spots of colour streaked up and down the broad roads, and throngs of people traveled the walkways, the bright notes of mindless chatter and strains of music travelling all the way up to this high vantage point. It was chaos of movement that put me more in mind of a beehive than any city I had ever seen before._

_My hand traveled cautiously to the hilt of the Reaver. The Voice had told me that this place was more 'wholesome' than Meridian, but I would not have survived to this great age if I took every scrap of information tossed to me at face value._

"What a wondrous place," Raziel's familiar cultured voice commented from behind his shoulder, snapping him out of his contemplations. He had to restrain the urge to jump. "It is a pity our stay here must be so brief. I would have liked to see more of it."

"Raziel! You can see all this?" Kain asked in shock. The blade had never spoken to him before in the past few hours he'd been contained within it.

"After a manner of speaking," Raziel replied, the eyes of the Reaver pulsing with each word. "I think that because I entered the blade willingly the effect was slightly different than if I'd been _forced _into my destined prison. In addition to the abilities I've apparently garnered, I can only hope that I might be able to avert the madness as well."

Kain nodded absently in relief. It alleviated his guilt somewhat that Raziel was still himself, although the wraith was undeniably still trapped within the blade. He suspected that the spirit's original madness had been derived from the extended periods of solitude, so this newfound ability to speak might go a long way to preventing that.

He was about to delve deeper into that point with Raziel when there was a loud screech of metal and the door to the roof opened.

"Are we feeding Mr. McCrae's birds Joseph?" a little girl asked happily, bouncing through the door and holding it open for the teenage boy following behind her, a large burlap bag thrown over his shoulder.

"No Allie," the boy answered, readjusting his load awkwardly. "But you can still look at them. I'm just going to empty this birdseed into the feeding bin for the old guy because he can't carry these things up the stairs anymore."

Neither human seemed to notice Kain as they approached the wooden hut, the girl throwing open the lid of a barrel so the boy could slit the bag open with his pocket-knife and pour the seed inside. Growing bored with the process and unable to catch sight the sleeping birds within, the little girl soon lost interest and began to explore the rooftop, tapping on the glass of the greenhouse before finally noticing Kain.

Her eyes went round with fright and she backed away from the vampire slowly, reaching the boy and tugging on his pant leg. "Joseph," she whispered urgently, "Joseph there's a vampire over there."

Kain said and did nothing. The reaction of these two humans would help him a great deal in determining how to proceed with their species while on his quest here.

"Allie," the boy answered, "I'm too busy to play with you right now. Be careful or you're going to pull my pants off. Stop it."

"Joseph I mean it," the girl insisted in her shrill panicked whisper. "There's a ugly weird-looking vampire over there. He's staring at us."

The boy lifted his head and finally beheld the fearsome vampire emperor. He gaped openly. Kain waited patiently for the boy to scream, drop what he was doing, grab his sister and run for the door. He did none of those things.

There was no mistaking the scent of fear coming from the two humans, but the boy only finished emptying the bag, and with shaking hands folded the empty burlap into a roll, took his sister by the hand, and carefully led her back to the door. Once he had pushed the girl into the threshold, he turned back to Kain.

"Would you like me to leave the door open for you sir?" he asked nervously, bowing his head a little in the vampire's direction.

"You aren't afraid of me?" Kain said instead of answering the question. The strange reaction to his presence had made him curious. He flashed the boy a cruel smile, fangs glinting clearly in the light pouring from the doorway.

"I'm very afraid of you sir," the boy answered, trying to encourage his sibling to go down the stairs. But she was having none of that, too curious to leave. "But the CVC gave a talk at my school a couple months ago, and they said that there are three rules to surviving an encounter with a vampire, especially the really old ones like you." Kain blinked in surprise. It was strange that an ordinary human would be able to tell the difference, particularly one as young as this. "The first rule is to be very, very polite. The second is to do what they tell you to do just long enough to get away. The third and most important rule is to never run, and never to act afraid, because that might make you prey."

"Wise advice," Kain replied, turning the words over in his mind. "Who are the CVC?"

"The Centre for Vampiric Control and regulation," the boy was extremely uncomfortable as he answered. "They regulate the goings on between our kind and yours. How come you've never heard of them?"

Kain's hunger clawed at his insides suddenly, reminding him that he needed to feed. The two human children smelled delectable to him, but even at the height of his depraved empire, they were too young for him to be feeding on. The Voice's warning was still fresh in his mind, and even if it hadn't been, he knew that an assault on two mortal children would do little to encourage the goodwill and assistance of the natives.

"Are you hungry sir?" The boy's tentative question caught him off guard.

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"Surely you're not offering to feed him, are you boy?" Raziel's shocked words echoed from over his shoulder. The vampire's head whipped around to glare at the skull hilt of the Reaver.

"Oh my god Joseph," the little girl murmured in excitement. "That guy's sword just talked!"

"No," the boy stuttered, terrified now. "No, I'm not offering, but I figured you weren't from around here, so you didn't know…."

"Didn't know what?" Kain growled bad-temperedly. He did not like it when someone pointed out his ignorance.

"I'll show you," the boy answered, hurrying across the rooftop to point at something in the distance. His sister followed a few seconds after. "See that white circle on that building way over there, with the red cross on top of it?"

"Yes, I do." Kain spotted the glowing sign quite easily.

"Well," the boy tried to gesture his sister back into the stairwell, but she ignored him, staring up at Kain in fascination. "That's a blood bank," he glanced over at Kain's confused frown. "A vampire feeding station. Every human in Nosgoth gives a blood tithe a couple times a year to the hospitals and to help feed the vampire population. Only kids and pregnant women are exempted. It's kind of like taxes, and mom says that if you do it more often than you have to, you can actually get a rebate. Dad went last week to make this month's donation. If you go there they'll give you whatever you need. Information, food… whatever."

"Blood as taxes?" Kain repeated the question to himself in amusement. "What an ingenious idea. So if I go there I'll be able to meet with others of my kind then?"

"We've even seen them go there in the daytime," the girl spoke up.

"There are places for the fledglings to hang out until the sun goes down and they get caught too far away from their dens, though people are legally supposed to let them into their houses in emergencies," the boy elaborated further.

"Your people are governed by vampires?" Raziel asked.

The boy was justifiably startled when the Reaver spoke to him again, but he was too scared not to answer the question. "No, the government's mostly human as far as I know."

"How strange…" the imprisoned wraith said to Kain, but he was not listening. Hunger was driving him forward now, and however willing to answer his questions these two humans were; he was going to have to feed… and soon.

"Thank you for your assistance little humans, but I'm afraid I must be going now," Kain made as if to jump from the roof ledge.

"Wait Kain," Raziel protested. "The portal, tell them to stay away from the portal!"

"That's right," Kain glanced around the dark rooftop. The swirling black vortex was hard to make out at this time of night, but he finally managed it. He looked at the boy. "There is something dangerous up here on the roof tonight, though I shall endeavour to be rid of it as quickly as I can. Is there any way to lock the door you came through?" He wouldn't want any of these foreign humans running loose in _his_ Nosgoth.

The human dug into his pocket and displayed a length of keys on a chain. "My dad's the superintendent of this building. He'll be mad at me, but I can probably loose his keys for a few days."

"Good," Kain nodded in agreement and he leaped from the ledge, reasonably sure he would be obeyed. The taste of blood was singing in his mind now, and nothing was going to deter him from sating his hunger.

He used telekinesis to slow his fall and landed lightly on his cloven feet, the tips clicking on the strange, moulded, and black rock-like substance beneath him. The alley around him was dirty and piled high with garbage, but he'd seen main roads in cities in his own dimension encrusted with so much waste it threatened to pour into people's homes. Nearby was the insistent pulse of a strange sort of music and besides the human filth; he could detect many different vampiric scents on the breeze. It appeared the vampire population in this city was flourishing.

"Be careful Kain," Raziel's voice warned cautiously, "Keep track of your bearings. It seems like it could very easy to become lost in this place. Are you even sure where you're heading?"

"I made careful note of where I am supposed to go Raziel," Kain replied bad-temperedly, his patience wearing thin. "Are you going to keep up this commentary throughout our entire quest here, or is it possible I might be graced with some silence tonight?"

The sword reluctantly fell silent, though it obviously did so resentfully. Something very amusing suddenly occurred to Kain and he laughed under his breath.

"What?" Raziel said crossly, knowing that he was the brunt of the joke.

"I can't help but find it humorous that you would go to the trouble of speaking to a couple of random human children, but throughout my encounter with the entity you said nothing. Why is that?"

"You didn't see what I saw Kain," the wraith's tone was warning. "I don't think it knew I was there or it might have tried to disguise itself. It was immense Kain, its presence easily large enough to fill the basin the Pillars are built within. Not nearly the size of the Elder of course, but still alarming. I was most afraid for your safety when you attempted to bait it."

"So you think it was lying to us then?" Kain asked immediately.

"No, quite the contrary actually. I think it was trying not to intimidate you. Evidently it knew enough about you to know that sort of tactic would not work well. The light display was just that, a harmless display. Despite what I could see with my wraith eyes, I received the same impression you did. It was both telling us the truth and very desperate. Although there was one other thing I picked up on that you did not."

"What is that?"

"I'm also fairly certain that the entity was female."

Kain's head snapped around to glare at the Reaver. "What on Nosgoth gave you that impression, and how is that relevant?"

"I'm not sure why its relevant," he could almost hear the shrug in Raziel's voice. "But that was just the impression I received. The sort of arrogance it spoke to you with, the way it played at your ego while mocking it at the same time. It just seemed female to me. I'm not sure exactly why I thought that, but I did. Perhaps it will be useful later on."

"I can hardly see how _that_-" Kain's disparaging remark was cut off by the sound of smashing glass and cries from the alley further behind him. Some sort of fight or brawl was taking place outside of what appeared to be a tavern, the loud screeching strains of music pouring from the open doors. Now that was something he was most familiar with. Despite his hunger, Kain allowed himself to be drawn to the source of the commotion.

The tavern doors had been ripped off the hinges, and a human wearing a strange sort of cloth armour sat up, shaking the debris off him. Kain instantly recognized the symbol of the Saraphan Order emblazoned on the man's back. Perhaps this place wasn't as idyllic as the Voice had let on. Another human bearing similar armour ran out of the doors, concern written on his familiar elegant features.

"Rahab you idiot," the human Raziel said in concern, standing over his brother. "Are you okay? Mom will kill me if I got you hurt."

"I'm fine," the dark-haired hunter laughed his brother off. "That son of bitch kicked me harder than I expected."

"You're lucky you didn't crack your head open." The human Raziel frowned down at his sibling.

"I'm lucky I'm from a hunter bloodline." Rahab waved him away. "Did you see where those fanged bastards went?"

Kain regarded his former sons from his place hidden in the shadows. They were far different than he ever could have anticipated. Both spoke with the same alien sort of slang as the children on the rooftop, and they seemed to lack the zealous fanaticism they'd possessed as Saraphan Priests in his Nosgoth's history. The reference to a 'hunter bloodline' was also unfamiliar. It appeared that in this Nosgoth these two members of his brood at least were physically related, not just by a religious brotherhood.

"It's an odd feeling to see myself and not feel the paradox threatening," the wraith Raziel commented absently from his perch.

"It must also be a relief to see a human version of yourself that is not a evil butcher and murderer, is it not?" Kain replied to the statement with a wry smile.

"I do not find that very funny at all Kain," Raziel snapped back with ill humour.

The last few bits of door were kicked out of the threshold by four hulking vampire fledglings, each one furious and menacing. A crowd of mixed humans and vampires followed behind them, dressed in outlandish clothing and chattering amongst themselves as they watched the fight taking place in the alleyway.

Smiling broadly, Rahab grasped his brother by the arm and hauled himself to his feet. "What's the matter boys? Did I offend you or something?" he called out at the advancing vampires, moving to block their path.

One of the vampires gave an inarticulate roar and rushed at him, fangs and claws bared for the attack. Rahab was bodily picked up off the ground and tossed several meters in the air, crashing back into a solid brick wall with a thud and a small shower of red dust. There was a hoarse cough and the human Rahab stood up, rubbing his back stiffly, although otherwise visibly unharmed.

'Now that wasn't very nice," he said, stepping back alongside his brother.

Kain leaned unconsciously forward. Now this was very different. Even the best human vampire hunter Kain had ever seen, Malek the Conflict Guardian included, would have been hard pressed to recover that quickly. The hunter's strength encroached on the vampiric. The other thing that struck Kain as distinctly out of place was that neither Raziel nor Rahab were armed. They wore leather straps that were obviously meant to hold a large variety of weaponry, but which now hung empty. He knew that it had to have been done deliberately.

"Damned Saraphan!" a young female fledgling hissed at them furiously. "Why do you trespass where you clearly aren't welcome?"

"I don't see any signs posted," Raziel answered contemptuously, "And there are no laws to prevent hunters like us from walking into whatever clubs we want to."

The vampire who'd struck Rahab gave another howl of fury and tried to launch himself at the hunters again, but his fellows threw their arms around him and pulled him back just in time. He snapped his sharp white fangs in the air as if eager to reach the Saraphan's throats.

"You look like you want to kill me Tanner." Rahab smiled maliciously at the struggling vampire. "You do, don't you?"

"Leave it be Tanner you idiot!" another fledgling yelled at the one who was fighting to get at the hunter. "They're just baiting you! They're fishing for evidence to get a hunting permit!"

"Damn right we are," Raziel was glowering imperiously at the hostile crowd standing around him. "Son of a bitch has received three warnings for assaulting hunters, and five for attacking civilians. You're an accident waiting to happen Tanner. What's wrong with trying to get a jump-start on something we're eventually going to end up doing anyway? Most people would consider us being responsible in our duties."

"Except that you're overstepping your bounds again Saraphan brat." A voice called out authoritatively over the heads of the crowd. A flash of revolving red and blue lights streaked the sides of the overhead buildings and a loud wailing siren went off, sending most of the crowd, mortal and immortal alike, scattering or running back into the bar they'd just come from.

The vampire who stepped forward now Kain could see was only slightly younger than Raziel had been before he'd fallen into the abyss. Beside her sat a man straddling a long husky bi-wheeled machine, the blaring siren cresting its rounded metallic nose. Words were painted in black across the machine's sides, 'Coorhagen City Police Department'. Both human and vampire were clad in matching black and grey uniforms, cloth armour, leather accessories well oiled and shined, and silver and bronze badges pinned to their chests. But where the female vampire bore a longsword in addition to the strange compact weapons strapped to her hips, a dark black helmet covered the man's face, only his eyes visible beneath the glass visor. He reached forward on the machine and pressed a button, turning the siren off. It did not take a great intuitive leap for Kain to guess that they were the town guard.

"Hello Rastha. It's been a while," Rahab approached the woman fearlessly.

"Indeed," the vampire answered coldly, "It's been a long _two hours _since I last saw your handsome faces. What brings you all the way out here at this time of night?"

"Nothing much," Rahab smiled and shrugged. "Just out for a taste of the night life you might say."

"Very funny," Rastha answered with an aggravated roll of her yellow eyes. "Hand it over."

"Hand what over?"

"The camera, hand it over." She opened her palm expectantly.

"We don't know what you're talking about." Raziel made to stand between his younger brother and the vampire. "Quit harassing us lieutenant. We disarmed like you asked us to. You've got no good reason to be bothering us anymore."

"Saraphan," the vampiress stared at each hunter levelly in the eyes, enunciating her syllables slowly to make herself very clear. "If I do not have that camera within the next fifteen seconds, I will be arresting you both and dragging your bigoted asses back to the station. Once there, I will _personally _perform the full body cavity search, and I will not be gentle." She lifted her three-taloned hands in demonstration. "Have I made myself very clear?"

The Saraphan brothers exchanged a darkly rebellious look before Raziel reached up to his collar and removed a small black device, placing it reluctantly in the female's hand. "There. Can we go now?"

"Be my guest." Lieutenant Rastha stepped out of their way and gave a mock courtly bow towards the main road. "And I better not see you boys again tonight, or for the next week. You hear me?"

"Yes ma'am."

Both hunters started out reluctantly for the main street. "Pushy bitch," Rahab muttered rebelliously under his breath. Raziel responded with something equally offensive back.

"You kiss your mama with that mouth?" Rastha called out after them. She was ignored.

Her human partner sat up and pushed his visor away from his face. "Crazy-obsessed Saraphan freaks! I don't know why their behaviour is even considered legal. We should have locked up the whole bunch of them years ago. Keep them from propagating their bullshit."

"Now, now Crai." Rastha ran her claws wearily through her long black hair. "Let's not be too hard on them. You know the Bloodline hunters can't help themselves. They're born, bred and raised for it. What makes them good hunters also makes them assholes. It's not their fault. We still need their skills whether most vampires want to admit it or not, so we've just got to learn to deal with the young hotheads like those. They'll mellow out eventually."

"That's awfully generous of you, considering." Her partner answered diplomatically.

"I've survived as long as I have because I'm a realist. I learned to see the big picture centuries ago." Despite the casualness of the topic of conversation, the vampire was alert, her eyes searching the alley around her and her ears perked. More than once Kain was sure he'd been found, but her eyes would look past him and move on to something else. She could sense something.

"You okay?" the human asked, noticing his partner's uneasiness. "What's the matter?"

"Don't worry about it." Rastha turned back to him. "You go after those two Saraphan. Make sure they don't stir up any more trouble. I'm going to hang back here and look around for a bit. I'll see you in time for the next shift tomorrow."

"If you insist."

"I do."

"See you tomorrow then." The human kicked his engine to roaring life and reluctantly turned his strange machine around, speeding out onto the road and alert for any signs of the young Saraphan.

"All right," Rastha stepped into the centre of the alley, hands travelling to one of the weapons on her belt. "I know you're there. Come out, come out wherever you are vampire." Every step took her closer to the vampire lord and his wraith blade hidden within the dark curtain of shadows.

**(A couple additional notes. I introduced a few fairly integral concepts that will be explained more in depth in the following chapters, including bloodline hunters and the CVC. There are also some hugely major historical differences between the dimensions. Rastha is not a main character though I do like her. If you have any questions or comments, message or review please. Also, are my chapters too long? If people review I feel beholden to write more.)**


	4. Chapter 4: The Blood Bank

**Post-Defiance Fan Fiction: Mirrors of Balance**

**By: Dragonaia**

**Disclaimer: **The Legacy of Kain games belong to Eidos and the Silicone Knights, not to me, much though I may wish it. The OOC involved in this fiction belong to me however, Rastha, Kainen/Katherine, the Voice, and the few secondary others. My retribution will be swift and horrifying.

**Author's Comments:** All right. This chapter is very long and includes a shallow introduction to the alternative Nosgoth culture. Any deeper is irrelevant because Kain will be returning to his Nosgoth in the chapter after next. Two concepts I should mention: First, I've read fanfics where Kain was all agog over the advancements of technology, but that always seemed silly to me because he's been to Meridian and he's not the type of person to be awed by anything, or at least show it. Second, I hope everybody likes the little jokes and puns I kept slipping in (though maybe only I'm anal retentive enough to get them). Rastha will not be going to Nosgoth with Kain either. She's just performing her civic duty. Another note beforehand, Kain's never seen people from foreign countries before, so they would understandably make him curious. Hence, the scene.

**

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****Chapter 4: The Blood Bank**

"Your senses are finely attuned." Kain allowed his voice to slip free of the shadows, bouncing off the high walls and disguising its origins.

"I've had lots of practice," the female vampire took another cautious step towards him. "I almost didn't detect you. That usually means the vampire in question is stronger and older than I am. You are aren't you?"

"I believe so." Kain's answer was non-committal. "What are you?"

"A vampire obviously." Rastha answered with a confused frown.

"No," Kain's response was disdainful. "The uniform. What role do you play in this city?"

"Oh." The vampiress sounded greatly relieved. "I am a Coorhagen City police officer, of the sixth precinct. And what are you in the grand scheme of things?"

"What I am is of little consequence to you." Kain responded. "I need to find someone, and I require sustenance. Can you be of any assistance to me?"

"Well that all depends," she answered cautiously. Now she stood only a few feet away from Kain. "Food is definitely workable, an easy need to fulfill. But helping you find someone, now that may be tough. It all depends on what you need them for, now doesn't it? It would be a dereliction of my duty if I weren't reasonably assured your intentions were honourable. I promise you that I will happily answer whatever questions I can sir, but you are going to have to come out for me to do that."

"Where am I then? What settlement is this?" Kain remained hidden. The vampiress' hand was still considerably closer to her weapon than he was comfortable with.

"I'm not telling you anything until you come out sir," Rastha insisted stubbornly.

"I just want to be satisfied that your answers will be as forthcoming as I wish them to be," Kain allowed his irritation to leach into his words. "Surely it is not so dangerous a question that you cannot answer it?"

"I'll concede you have a point." She looked around, knowing that her fellow vampire was incredibly close now, but still unable to exactly pinpoint his position. She spread her arms wide in a show of welcome. "Very well then, I bid you welcome to twenty-first century Coorhagen sir. How might I facilitate your visit here?"

Kain paused, unsure of how to proceed. 'And Coorhagen,' he marvelled inwardly, 'how it had changed!' This place of dazzling light was the very same city his human family had ruled over with such impunity?

"A bit different than you anticipated?" Rastha prompted, correctly interpreting his silence as shock. "You wouldn't be the first."

"The first what?"

"The first vampire to awake into this century after a long period of sleep. In fact, you'd be the second in the past decade that I know about. The modern era is bright, flashy, and every bit as confusing as it looks. It's also about ten times more dangerous than it was in the past. I'm always very careful the older vampires make the transition into the new world smoothly. You're too valuable to loose to hunter's blade."

"I still do not understand." Kain persisted, genuinely concerned. "I've seen nothing in my short time here that could be considered remotely threatening."

Rastha sighed, folding her arms across her chest patiently. "On the surface it isn't, but beneath, danger lurks everywhere, especially for our kind. Water pipes run into every residence, with access on every road, humans have weapons that can destroy whole cities and nations with the touch of a button, and technology has evolved to the point that magic is almost unnecessary and rarely used. Information is transmitted instantly, and the government is not composed of a single self-absorbed man, sitting on an ancient throne, bored with the tedious affairs of state. You sir, have misinterpreted what I am. I'm not some town guard whose task it is to keep invaders outside the city walls, or 'tame' the peasants within. There are no peasants anymore, no slaves, no serfs, no kings, and no nobles. Nosgoth is now a democratic nation, governed by a codified law, and as a police officer, I am a vassal of the law's will."

Kain's eyes narrowed and he glared at the young vampire who had the audacity to speak to him in such a manner. Her words slowly penetrated his mind, their meaning ever so gradually sinking in.

"I'm not telling you this to threaten or intimidate you sir," she continued, her voice deliberately calm. "It's something you need to know to survive here. By all means, go ahead, wreak destruction, and defy the humans and their law. But you must be made aware of the consequences of such actions. If the offence is severe enough, the humans will obtain a hunting permit, and the vampire hunters will be set after you. I don't care how old or how powerful you are; none escape them, and none evade them for long. The hunters are as keen and relentless as hunting hounds, and I have never known them to fail. _Ever_." She paused then, rubbing her face wearily. "Look sir. Please come out now. I can tell that you're hungry, and I am too. I've just had a very long tiring day. Walk with me to the blood bank and I'll answer whatever questions I can. I just want to help you. Its getting annoying standing here alone and talking to thin air."

Kain was silent for a long tense moment. The vampiress had removed her hands from her weapons and didn't seem inclined to reach for any of them again. He knew that it would be wise to have a guide in this place, and Raziel agreed, pulsing insistently between his shoulder blades.

"Very well," Kain stepped from the shadows, right behind the female vampire. She whirled to face him. "I will take advantage of your hospitality, but trust that you will deeply regret it if you ever attempt to betray me. I am not known for my merciful nature."

Despite her nonchalant attitude, Rastha appeared genuinely stunned when she finally beheld Kain in the streetlights. "Ye gods… you're a _lot _older than I expected."

"Does that change your offer in any way?" Kain pressed. He stepped close to her, staring down at the considerably shorter female in an effort to intimidate her.

"Not at all," her face curved into a bright friendly smile and she dug her talons into her jacket pockets, looking completely disarming and at ease. "My name is Rastha Ezra. What might I call you sir?"

"Lord Kain." His expression seemed to dare her to contradict his title.

"Lord huh? I thought you had that look to you." She took a step back, apparently to examine him in more minute detail, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Well I can tell you that there are two things that might get you in trouble with the natives. First off, the sword-"

"I'm not disarming," Kain snapped. "This sword is worth more than the entirety of your kingdom combined."

"I'll take your word for it, but that's not what I meant." Rastha held up her hands placatingly. "Not only is it against the law, but most people don't really carry weapons around any more. There's no need for them. Only reason I do is because I'm a cop. Now they normally let the older vampires get away with it, force of habit kind of thing, but that's a Reaver you've got there, and they're a real touchy issue right now."

"You recognize my sword?" Kain blinked in surprise.

"Reavers tend to have a very distinct look to them sir. The whole skull thing-"

"Wait." Kain held up a hand to forestall any further chattering on the vampiress' part. "You said 'Reavers'. There are more than one here?"

"There are lots of different names for them," Rastha shrugged. "Soul-swords, Spirit-Reavers, Aquanos-blades. Used to be lots of them around, especially in the Hunter families, but a couple decades ago they passed a law making them illegal, something about 'cruel and unusual punishment'. Most people think they were all destroyed, though every once in a while rumours start floating around that a couple of the Hunter families hid some away so that they could still go after the big monsters."

"I will not disarm."

"Somehow I didn't think you would." She let out an aggravated snort.

"What is a 'hunter family'?" Kain took advantage of her momentary silence to ask. The question was burning in the forefront of his mind and he could tell Raziel was very nearly as curious as he was.

"You don't know?" Rastha's head whipped up to stare at him. "How can you not know?"

"I have never encountered them before. Would I have asked the question if I already knew the answer?" He flashed his fangs at her impatiently.

"Alright, alright sir. No need to get your panties in a knot. Hunter families or 'bloodlines' are humans descended from a long line of vampire hunters and have made it their business to take up their ancestral duties. A bloodline hunter is different than a normal hunter because… well…" She struggled to find the right word. "You've heard of evolution right?"

"I dare say I have some experience in the concept." Kain raised a brow sardonically.

Rastha laughed nervously. "Yes, I suppose you have. Well, humans evolve too, but it takes a lot longer, and spans generation to generation. Well, hunter bloodlines are humans evolved to be better vampire hunters. They're stronger, smarter, faster, and have better constitutions than their lesser brethren. In fact, some of the oldest bloodlines nearly equal some of the fledgling vampires in strength and can take a remarkable amount of damage before dying. I'm also told that their blood tastes rather unappetizing, although I've never had occasion to try it myself. A lot of them still practice magic too, where much of humanity has forgotten the art. Those two hunters in the alley, they were from the Saraphan Bloodline. Its one of the more venerable families, though its probably got the worst reputation. They like to take things a little too far, but the modern ones are nothing compared to their legendary founders, some sort of sadistic, fanatical cabal of priest-knights. Don't know much about them, and I don't care to know. That's a chapter in history best left forgotten. Which reminds me, about your banner…" She pointed at the ragged scrap of red material trailing proudly from Kain's shoulder.

"What of it? It's my personal insignia. I'm hardly about to abandon it for sake of fashion."

"That was the other thing that the locals might have a problem with." Rastha looked a little apprehensive. "You see, around here its known as the symbol of the Scion Bloodline. It's probably just a coincidence that it looks so similar, but it might get you attacked by some of the more idiotic fledglings. They could mistake you for some kind of traitor."

Kain was just barely successful in covering his reaction. People named 'Scion' who bore his own personal symbol? If he was ever to find his alternate, it seemed the best place to start looking. "Who are the Scions?" Kain was eager now. At last, a trace of his prey. The Voice had told him what he sought would come to him, and apparently it had.

"A vampire hunting bloodline like the Saraphan, only worse. Their family is the best, the elite. It's not as big a clan as the Saraphan, but it's got a deadly reputation. In fact, the Scions are really the Saraphan's only competition for contracts, and they only take the hardest cases. Not much is known about them; the family is very reclusive and secretive. I couldn't even tell you where they've got their headquarters. Most vampires are terrified of them, and for good reason. Personally, the few I've met were just plain creepy, even by the standards of our kind. I'm not afraid of them, but they make me uneasy. I just think it would be best to remove it for now, just in case somebody gets the wrong idea."

Kain growled low in his throat, causing the younger vampire to jump backwards.

"All right, all right," she said warily, reaching for his shoulder cautiously. "How about we do this instead?" Her talons deftly removed the banner from his harness before he could move to protest, and she reversed it, repining it to his shoulder with the symbol side pointing inwards, obscuring it from view.

"Good compromise?" Rastha inquired, stepping back quickly.

"It will do." Kain regarded the younger vampire in amusement. She had long dark hair, and a pattern of arcane tattoos surrounded one eye like a black sickle. It appeared that this one had a very un-vampiric nature as far as he was concerned, armed with a good-natured sense of humour and empathy, as well as the weapons she bore so easily. Even so, she was a warrior; he could see that, in her stance and in her predatory amber eyes. The combination was unusual and reminded him of the traits he had so beloved in his vampiric sons, when they chose to indulge them. Mischievous Zephon with his sly pranks, and Rahab with his laughter. Even Raziel had possessed a certain amount of dry wit. Part of him ached with homesickness for what he had lost, while the other marvelled at the differences between this Nosgoth and his. The vampires here led a peaceful enough existence that they could afford to indulge their softer natures this way. In had been many years since he had seen one of his kind so at ease.

"So…" Rastha prompted, "Are you hungry or what?"

Kain quickly drew his mind viciously back to reality. The blood hunger was aching through his body now. "Very much so. Lead on."

"Great!" she turned on her heel and hurried to the end of the alley, beckoning him to follow. "Come on milord. You may not have noticed, but I'm a mite bit peckish myself!"

Shaking his head resignedly at her antics, he cautiously followed her out of the alley.

Never in his life had he seen so many different people packed into one place. Humans pressed in on him from all sides, though they were very careful not to touch him, or his vampiric guide. The roads themselves were empty of pedestrians, and in their place large, vaguely rectangle-shaped machines with glass windows conveyed the humans seated comfortably inside them speedily down the roadways. Wide, mortal eyes followed both vampires as they made their way down the busy walkways on either side of the streets.

Rastha seemed to be in no hurry. She kept up a brisk human pace allowing the crowd to melt easily around her, a speed that Kain easily matched. It gave him time to look around and examine his surroundings in greater detail. Hungry as he was, the first thing he noticed was the people. Not only were there such a great many of them, but also most were healthy and relatively happy. While they pulled away from the two vampires out of respect and no little amount of natural fear, they just as easily returned to their previous tasks, their lives and courses unchanged. He had never been in a city where the oppressive weight of terror or poverty did not bog the inhabitants down hopelessly.

Here and there a human would catch his attention, their appearance so different he had to choice but to stop and stare. One was a man with dark ebony skin, his scalp shaved clean and walking arm in arm with a younger woman with similar colouring, her hair woven into dozens of long miniscule braids. The next person to catch his attention was a tiny older woman with glossy black hair, tanned skin, and dark slanted eyes. She was screeching loudly in a foreign language at what could only have been her son, with a voice so formidable it did not match her slight form. It was only when a young dark-skinned man with a cloth hat carefully wrapped around his head, rudely bumped into the elder vampire, that he actually stopped, picking the strange man up to examine him more carefully. He would have screamed too had Kain's talons not been clamped so tightly around his throat.

"What's the matter milord?" Rastha inquired curiously over his shoulder, though he sensed something warning in the tone she chose to use.

"Why does this one look so different from all the others?"

"Ah…." Understanding dawned on her face. "I'll tell you if you put him down." Again, her voice was neutral though he could detect the threat rippling beneath the civil layer. _Let him go or you'll regret it._

Not caring either way, Kain shrugged. "Very well." He released the man.

The human collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, before scrambling to his feet and taking off down the crowded street. Ignoring the stares and whispers; Kain waited for the other vampire to explain.

"He's not from Nosgoth. His family must have moved here from across the ocean, probably to work. There are quite a fair few foreigners in Nosgoth now, despite its dangerous reputation due in no small part to our kind. I know some vampires who collect foreign fledglings like prize dolls. It's demeaning. Surely there's more value to immortality than looking pretty or exotic." Letting out a disdainful sniff she continued on her way, obviously very familiar with the busy network of streets.

"Do you have any more questions for me," she said after they had traversed at least a block in silence. "I did promise I would give you what answers I could after all. Who are you looking for?"

"It's a rather unwieldy affair. I think it best I keep that to myself for now." Kain had already decided it best to allow the vampiress to continue to believe he was a newly awakened elder. The truth was much too complicated, and he did not have the patience or the inclination to explain it properly, as she would rightly demand. His mind was already busy enough with the running through of the possibilities of the 'Scion' connection and the distraction of his surroundings, so that he really couldn't think of anything else to ask. "I have no other questions that immediately come to mind."

"Oh… okay," Rastha responded awkwardly, clearly uneasy with his vague statement. "Do you mind if I ask you something then?"

"What do you wish to know?" Kain replied irritably, too diverted by staring into the clear glass windows of the passing shops to pay much attention.

"Just how old are you; when were you born?" Rastha had stopped walking and faced him now, her expression unreadable. The crowd was forced to walk around them, muttering rebelliously at the two vampires as they passed. They were ignored.

"I am clearly older than you are. Why do ask? How could the answer possibly matter?"

Rastha's eyes narrowed, her easy-going attitude apparently wearing thin. "It doesn't, not really. But I'm curious and there's something not quite right about you. To be perfectly frank," she sniffed the air, "You smell funny, in more ways than one. Off and a little wrong, like age, and rot and old blood. Not healthy at all. I'm no fool Lord Kain. I have survived and thrived in this and ages past because I learned early on in life that you shouldn't take anything for granted, and your instincts are right every time. If something seems wrong, it usually is. I'm sorry, but it's just too much of a coincidence for me to accept that an elder vampire just happens to bear the same glyph as the top Hunter Bloodline in existence."

"And how do you know I am simply not an early Scion ancestor?" Kain retorted angrily. This female was a little more observant than he had anticipated.

"Because people from hunter bloodlines cannot become vampires. It's one of their evolutionary 'perks'. I guess it prevents desertion. To be one of their ancestors you would have to be well over four thousand years old, and I don't think you are quite _that_ ancient." Rastha was glaring right back at him, with just as much menace in her eyes. "Don't give me that look sir. I'm just trying to help you get your story straight. The CVC aren't going to simply take you at your word when they give you an evaluation."

Kain reluctantly forced himself to calm down. He still needed this female's help, and so far she had been offering it freely. "Will you at least concede it's possible that their ancestors appropriated my symbol for their own use? I don't know myself, and that's the only answer I can give you." It was the only plausible response he could come up with on such short notice. "Now for the love of god will you stop quarrelling with me in the middle of a crowded thoroughfare and take me to this damn feeding station!"

Rastha's bravado wilted a little under Kain's fierce roar and she nodded her head, acquiescing almost meekly. "Only two more blocks that way milord," she indicated with careful politeness and resumed walking in that direction, Kain close on her heels.

Kain wanted to scream with frustration when Raziel suddenly piped up from behind his shoulder, calling after the younger vampire, "Wait! Who are the CVC?"

Rastha's steps faltered. "Is it just me, or did that Reaver just speak?"

"Raziel! Of all the ridiculous times!" Kain snarled impotently at the sword.

"I am only anticipating a danger you are too hungry to do for yourself," Raziel replies calmly, his voice smooth and even. "Who are the CVC and what will they do?"

"It is a good question you know," Rastha informed Kain with a careless shrug and resumed walking, forcing the vampire-emperor to follow behind her. It seemed she had dismissed Raziel's voice as something strange Kain would not answer in his current mood. She would wait until he'd been fed for that. "CVC stands for "Center for Vampiric Control'. Despite the name, the implications of which we _all_ greatly resent, the CVC is more on our side than on the humans'. It is a branch of the government that represents us, and works to keep us feed, secure and happy. They provide information to the public that reduces stigma and fear, and help out vampires in whatever way they need to, running the blood banks and protesting against the abuses of hunters."

"And the evaluation you spoke of," Raziel called up at her again, blatantly ignoring the shocked mortals standing all around. "What does that involve?"

"The evaluators are the only people in the CVC not on our side." She shot a sly look back at Kain. "When a vampire is newly awakened, and for everyone else once a decade, an evaluation takes place to determine what threat, if any, they may present to the general populace. If you fail your evaluation, a termination order may be issued. The more powerful you are, the more likely they will fail you, because if you do turn for the worst, you will be all the more difficult to stop." She laughed humourlessly. "One of those vampires I told you about who awoke a few years back was terminated. He arose from his deep sleep with some ridiculously ill conceived notion of empirical conquest. Can you imagine someone trying that in this day and age? What a nut job!" She began to chuckle in genuine laughter. "Tried to get a bunch of us to go along with him and 'put the cattle in their rightful place'. Please. Last time someone tried that they nearly killed the humans off entirely, especially with those feisty little hunters thwarting his will all the time. I hear some of the elders tried to beat the sense into him, but he wouldn't have any of it. We had no choice but to let the hunters have at him. I mean, he wasn't nearly as bad as what's his face, Vorador, but still… Bastard didn't leave us much choice."

"You know of Vorador?" Raziel gasped.

"I _knew _of him." Rastha giggled again. "Kind of hard not to. He was my sire's sire. But that sado-hedonist got what was long coming to him, believe you me. I hear the hunters were exceptionally, brutally vicious in his case, but he was getting to be a danger to both humans and vampires. You knew him too?"

"We've met," Kain replied pensively. "It was a long time ago. Who is your sire? I might know them." He was curious as to how many similarities there were between the worlds.

"Her name was Umah. She died about three hundred years ago in a battle with another vampire, one of her siblings I think. I'm not quite sure about the circumstances. We were never very close, and my siblings don't like me very much." Rastha turned a corner sharply and smiled broadly, her teeth flashing bright white under the glaring streetlamps. "Ah, here we are milord. Keep close. It's always a bit crowded this time of night with all the fledges out and about."

As Kain continued to tread in his guide's measured footsteps, his head craned upwards to examine the building's façade. Mounted atop with slanted metal roof tiles was a large round glowing sign, about as tall as he was, glowing white and bisected by a luminescent red cross. It seemed rather gaudy to him, but he assumed it was to be the most visible it possibly could, advertising its presence to half the city's vampiric populace from a great distance. The walls were made all of glass, and the small reception area visible was stark, sterile and bleached, all gleaming steel counters and cold geometric design. A pale, morose-looking human man sat at the counter, sifting through a stack of paperwork.

"Hallo Orrick," Rastha paced up to the counter with the ease of routine, tapping her claws impatiently on the metal surface to get the human's attention. "How's it hanging?"

The human glanced up at her in surprise, immediately calming down when he saw whom it was. "Sweet mother of… Rastha! You scared the shit out of me. I'm human and fragile. Do you want me to die of a heart attack?"

"You're twenty-eight Orrick. I doubt that's much of a risk at this point in time," Rastha bantered back easily with the human. "What's got you so stressed? You don't look yourself tonight."

He rubbed at his red-rimmed eyes in apparent exhaustion. "This is the longest shift I've had in two years. Between the rowdy fledglings and a group of hunters busting in here earlier, I'm swamped. Took a couple threats to call the police to get them to clear out. Thank god the inner doors are locked; they might have managed to break in with half the delicate fledges under for the day."

"Hunters in here?" Rastha frowned, "That's off-script. They know they're not allowed within fifty feet of a blood bank, let alone inside. What did they want?"

"Near as I could tell, they wanted to talk to one of the elders. Toroth, I think it was. Good thing he wasn't in."

"Is he in now?"

"Stopped in for dinner about half an hour ago. If you're lucky, he's still skulking around down there. Likes to chat about the good old days with a couple of his war buddies." The human peered past the female vampire, finally noticing Kain. "Hey, who's your friend? He new? I haven't seen him around before, and I usually remember the Elders."

"Orrick, this is Lord Kain," Rastha explained patiently, digging around clumsily in her pocket for something, "He's newly awakened, and very hungry. I'm not exactly sure what the policies are regard-"

There was a series of electronic beeps from beneath the counter, and a pair of doors slid open of their own volition. The thick, sweet scent of blood floated to Kain in a rush of warm, clean air.

"Don't bother with ID and protocol lieutenant," the human informed her steadily, though his eyes did not waver from the strange vampire standing before him. "You're a cop, and I've known you long enough to trust you. Just get him in there and get him fed. I've had one hell of a bad enough day without needing to clean up _that_ kind of mess."

"Thanks kid," the officer nodded her head appreciatively, beckoning Kain to follow her through into the hall beyond the sealed doors. Very nearly salivating at the appetising smells, he did not need any further encouragement.

The décor inside the building was slightly more familiar to him, all dark woods and fine, plush carpets tapestries. It put him in mind of Vorador's mansion, with a great show of tawdry aged grandeur, only there were several distinct elements missing. Most especially lacking from the air was the smell of damp and mould, and the presence of death looming overhead. And the scent of blood permeated the air about this entire place so densely that Kain was surprised he couldn't see red mist hanging in the air, teasing his raging appetite.

The long descending hallway opened up into a large hall obviously built under the city long ago, ancient pillars stoically supporting the ceiling on their settled spines. The room was filled with hundreds of vampires of all ages and ranks, cloistered in their own private groups as they loitered about the room, seated in circles about low tables, standing in secluded corners, or lounging in sofas and chaises around the perimeter. Silver frames displayed moving pictures, and a group of newly turned fledglings sat about one, cheering as they watched it intently. Books were stacked sporadically about, and Kain noticed an archway in one corner that opened up into what appeared to be a private library overflowing with texts.

"Sorry if it's a bit loud for you sir," Rastha said apologetically, looking about the room as if searching for someone, "This time of night is the rush hour, and if a vampire wants some company, this is when they come in."

A lone figure separated itself from the crowd, making its way towards them. The vampire was a little younger than the female, his lips not yet black and his hands still retaining their basic five-fingered design. He was wearing the same clothes as several others roaming about the room, dressed in black pants, a stark white shirt and black vest. Bowing low before them, he kept his face neutral and impassive. "Greetings Lieutenant Rastha. I assume you will be having your usual. What can I get your friend?"

"Enough with the formalities Cyrix, and quit calling me 'lieutenant'," Rastha snarled at him, "Kain, this is my younger sibling. He will see to it that you are well fed. I'll help myself Cyrix. Just give Lord Kain what the Elders usually take. Speaking of which, where is Toroth? I'd like to speak to him."

The other vampire blinked at her placidly, "I take it that the lieutenant has heard of our unwanted visitors from this morning. It might be presumptuous of me to say that I don't think it's any of your business-"

Rastha gripped her younger sibling viciously by the throat to cut him off and dragged him down so that he was at eye level. "Cyrix, take that stick out of your ass for just one minute and listen to me damn it! I don't have time for this! Where is Toroth?"

"It's been three hundred years since your sire's passing little ones," a cool, serene voice intruded gently, "Surely the sibling rivalry ought to have petered off by now. What do you wish to speak to me about?"

Tall as he was, even Kain had to crane his head to look up at the Elder vampire. Toroth's skin was palest blue, and his long tapered ears curved backwards, becoming nearly transparent at the tips, like the ethereal antennae of some great insect. The evolved vampire elder regarded them calmly, folding his impossibly long, spindly limbs across his chest as he patiently waited for the female to respond, the long trailing robes only adding to the impression of some great moth or butterfly. Kain had never seen this type of mutation before, and he had to concede it was almost artistically beautiful.

"Feed him," Rastha ordered Cyrix sharply as she released her grip on his throat and gave a curt nod in Kain's direction. "I'll be right back."

Taking the Elder carefully by the elbow, she steered him a short distance away before they began engaging in an urgent conversation, speaking in hushed undertones. While the Elder's face remained impassive, Rastha appeared more and more disturbed as the exchange went on.

Kain quickly lost interest, switching automatically back to the young vampire assigned to feed him. "Boy," he warned darkly, drawing the young one's attention back to himself.

To the vampire's credit, he remained ever polite, even bowing his head diffidently as he replied, "I'll be back with your order sir, if you would but wait here a moment." Cyrix disappeared through a set of swinging doors, re-emerging a few moments later with a tray bearing a clear pitcher of dark blood and a tall glass.

Kain was barely patient enough to wait for the server to return, snatching the pitcher and pressing it to his mouth, not even bothering with the glass. His nerve endings heaved a sigh of relief as the unexpectedly warm blood struck the back of his throat, coating his insides and sinking into his body. He drained the vessel swiftly, replacing the pitcher back onto the tray, silently demanding more. Cyrix obeyed. It was only after the fourth or fifth carafe that he'd finally drank his fill, easily the equivalent of what three struggling human warriors would have provided him with. He glanced at Rastha and Elder Toroth, finally curious enough to wonder what they were discussing.

Just as he began to try and eavesdrop, the conversation ended abruptly, Rastha breaking away from the elder and storming back towards Kain. Snatching the sixth jug of blood from the tray Cyrix had brought for Kain, she rapidly drained it.

"I'm afraid I've got some business to attend to sir," she informed Kain, ignoring her brother's rebellious expression. "You're welcome to come with me, but I've got to warn you, there may be a mite bit of trouble."

"I'm hardly unaccustomed to trouble young one," Kain replied simply. "As you already know, no doubt. Where are we going?" Rastha had led him true thus far, and his instincts said she would continue to lead him where he needed to go.

**(Sorry it's long folks. I kind of got caught up. Its eleven pages typed on my computer. Just in case it wasn't perfectly clear, Rastha thinks Kain woke up from a long period of sleep, like the beginning of BloodOmen2, and he's not correcting her on that assumption. Also, the 'cloth armour' Kain keeps referring to is a flak jacket. He'd be too proud to ask. Next chapter introduces Kain's alternate; so hold on. Things start to get messy from this point onwards. I think its funny that Rastha treats Kain like he's a rabid grizzly. Whoa bear- I mean Kain! Thanks Ryoken!)**


	5. Chapter 5: The Saraphan

**Post-Defiance Fan Fiction: Mirrors of Balance**

**By: Dragonaia**

**Disclaimer: **The Legacy of Kain games belong to Eidos, not to me, much though I may wish it. The OOC involved in this fiction belong to me however: Rastha, Kainen/Katherine, the Voice, and the few secondary others. My retribution will be swift and horrifying.

**Author's Comments:** I'm very, _**very**_ sorry about the delay, guys. I've had this written for a while (the next chapter's almost done too), but I've been so distracted with my job search I kept forgetting to post it. Also, by no fault of my own, the twins won't appear until the next chapter. I just couldn't fit them in. Don't kill me. I've also been seriously considering continuing Rastha's involvement all the way into Kain's Nosgoth. I'd like your opinions on that, if you will. Thanks goes out to **Fantastic Flying Ferret**, **Ryoken**, and **LunaticPandora1** for their wonderful reviews.

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**Chapter 5: The Saraphan**

"Cyrix," she commanded her sibling without preamble. "Don't go back to your clan house tonight. Stick around here or sleep at a friend's. I don't care which. Something nasty is going down and I don't want you caught in the middle of it."

"What are you talking about, lieutenant?" The male vampire glared back at her. "What right have you to tell me this?"

"Oh, for the love of-" Rastha sputtered, almost seething. "My name is 'Rastha', not whatever inane title you choose to use! It's been over a half a millennium. Get it right, damn it! And as for what right I have; I am your elder, you will obey me. It is for your own safety that I tell you this. I want you clear of trouble."

"What sort of trouble?" Cyrix's gaze switched from her to the Elder standing nearby, watching the proceedings serenely.

"The kind that involves hunters and our brother, what else?" Rastha's anger was pierced by worry. "You will stay here, Cyrix. I'm going to warn him myself. Do we have an understanding between us?"

It appeared that her brother wished to protest, but he swallowed whatever objection was clawing at his throat. "Yes, sister." He bowed his head in acquiescence to her wishes.

"Very good," Rastha turned towards the swinging doors where Kain assumed the blood was stored. "I'm going to cut through the back of the building. I'll call you when things settle down enough for you to go home." She looked back at Kain. "Are you coming or what, sir? I've neither the time nor the inclination to baby-sit you all night."

Bristling under the insult, Kain followed the vampiress through the doors never the less. They emerged on the other side into another broad, white sterile room. Large brass tanks lined the walls, radiating a dull heat, a facet affixed to base of each. The stench of blood in here was strong enough to even gag a vampire as experienced as Kain, though there was not a trace of it on any of the clean, gleaming surfaces. There were several humans in the room as well. Two men were washing dishes in the corner farthest from the door, one of which was using a jet of water on the end of a hose to rinse the soap from a platter. Another man was standing on a short ladder, cutting open clear satchels of blood and pouring the contents into the open lid of one of the brass tanks. A woman handed the strange satchels up to him, chattering with him idly as she picked them up from a square white box resting on a nearby counter. Of all the things he had expected, he had not anticipated this bland, almost mediocre scene. Vorador's 'larder' had looked nothing like this.

"Hey!" the man with the hose exclaimed, the first to notice them enter. "You're not authorized to come back here. Employees only." Something in Kain's expression had put him on the defensive, no matter how used to the presence of vampires the man was, and he raised the nozzle, pointing it at the floor between them.

The one loading the blood into the tank looked up and gave them the briefest glance before barking back at the man, "Oh, go stuff it, Tom. Go back to washing dishes like a good boy. Can't you see its just Rastha?" He shook his head helplessly. "God, talk about high-strung!" The man with the hose reluctantly turned back to his work, though he kept a suspicious eye on the two intruding vampires.

"Thanks for the compliment, Eric. Nice to know I'm appreciated," Rastha chuckled, "I'm just going to use the freight-elevator to get to the roof, okay?"

A server came into the room them, giving Kain an anxious look before rooting his eyes to the floor. Whatever the fledgling was about to say died on his lips. This one knew danger when he saw it.

"For the seventh time in the past five minutes," the man filling the tank glared at him in exasperation, "I told you to tell Elder Sing that the AB positive won't be ready for another half hour. If she's that hungry, get her to order something else while she waits. What is wrong with people tonight!"

The server bowed his head to Kain and backed out of the room without saying a word.

"Hello?" Rastha pushed. "Eric? You listening to me?" She was still staring at the human expectantly.

"What?" he snapped.

"Eric," Rastha seemed amused rather than frustrated. "We need the keys to use the elevator." Kain wanted to shout at the younger vampire. How could she be so calm when this human was so blatantly ignoring her?

The human finally stopped wrestling with the clear material of a stubborn blood package and took a good look at the two vampires. His face blanched a little and he scurried off the ladder, handing the package to the woman. "Sorry about that," he said with an apologetic bow of his head, his gaze fixed on Kain. "I was just a little preoccupied. It's been a very busy night tonight. Four of the tanks went dry, and your kind can be very pushy when they're hungry. Won't happen again, sir."

Kain didn't deign to answer the human. Now that his hunger was satiated, he'd regained control of his temper, and the look Rastha was sneaking him from the corner of her eye told him in no uncertain terms that she would not tolerate violence towards the man, whether he'd been rude or not. Kain could have easily dealt with her, but he was not a fool. There were several powerful elders only a doorway away, and they might not appreciate conflict on their grounds. If was safest not to say anything to the human at all.

"This way to the elevator," the human beckoned them forward, scrambling around a corner into a small alcove. A large pair of metal double doors was set in the wall. The human plunged a key into a nearby panel, and the doors slid open with a whir of mechanics. The human beckoned them into the confined space, using his key to activate another panel, this one located on the inside. He pressed the topmost button.

"The roof, right?" the human asked Rastha timidly as Kain stalked past him into the elevator, still glowering his fury at the impudent human.

"Thank you Eric," Rastha answered, giving the human a reassuring smile. "I can take it from here. You get back to work before Elder Marco bites your head off."

Eric didn't need to be told twice, though Kain suspected it wasn't the Elder Marco he was afraid of. The human darted back into the vampire kitchens as quickly as he could, allowing Rastha to close the doors after him. Having used a lift before while in Meridian, Kain was not surprised by the suction caused from being towed up several levels in a building. An awkward silence yawned between the two vampires before Rastha finally broke it.

"Why haven't you asked me why I invited you to come with me?"

"You like to talk," Kain answered, trying his best to control his temper. The longer he was around the female, the more aggravated he felt. "I assumed you would tell me eventually."

Rastha laughed. "I do at that… Well, would you like to know?" She chuckled again upon seeing his cross expression. "All right, all right. I get the point. I'll quit teasing. Fact is, I noticed how interested you were when I mentioned the Scion Bloodline. I figured they might have something to do with the 'unwieldy affair' you were talking about. I just couldn't say that in front of the others. They might have taken it the wrong way, you see. Anyway, if you want to see the Scions, I'll take you; they don't exactly qualify as true civilians. But believe me, I hope you're not getting in over your head. Things could get very messy, very quickly."

"I thought you said you didn't know where they were located?" Kain asked, his tone much harsher than he'd meant it. Apparently this young female was _a great deal_ more observant than he'd originally anticipated.

"I told you," Rastha frowned at his attitude, but continued on conversationally. "I don't know where their headquarters is, but I do know where they are going to be tonight. We've got about half an hour to get all the way across town. A little longer if you don't mind missing the action."

"Why?" Kain pressed, "And what does this have to do with your brother?" That was one of the few details he'd picked up on during her conversation with Elder Toroth and Cyrix.

"Dude," Rastha stared at him like the answer was obvious. "Termination order."

Kain's eyes narrowed and then widened in understanding. "Your brother is about to be hunted." His voice betrayed no signs of approval or disapproval.

"That would be it," Rastha nodded her head, a forlorn little smile playing on her black lips. Rastha seemed to consider something, before piping up in that strangely encouraging voice of hers, "You think I'm weak, don't you?" For some reason it felt impossible not to answer her.

Kain hesitated a moment before replying with a simple, "Yes." The lift ground to halt.

"You're wrong," Rastha declared calmly, stepping in front of the doors as they opened, and into the cool night air.

"And how is it that I am wrong?" Kain followed her onto the bleak rooftop, the same rough gravel as the first one he'd landed on grinding beneath his cloven feet.

"Well," Rastha said, walking to the edge of the roof to get her bearings. "I'll be the first to admit that I'm not anywhere near you, milord, in terms of strength, power and age, that's for certain. But that doesn't mean I'm weak. We may both be vampires, but we're really two different species. You're a warrior; I'm a diplomat. You deal with problems by smashing things, whereas I don't often run into problems in the first place. You see?"

Kain stared at the vampiress' back. "Where are you going with this? Why do you bring it up?"

"I'm bringing it up," Rastha responded, turning to regard him with cold amber eyes, all trace of previous good humour gone, "Because I want to make something very clear between us. I'm helping you because that is my duty, because Elder Toroth asked me to, and because I hope to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed on your part. I don't know what is wrong with you sir, and it's not my place to judge. But there is a fine line between monster and vampire, and it can be crossed so easily. My brother is about to be hunted down because he crossed that line once too often. And no offence sir, but you smell like you were _born_ on the other side of that line. Everyone in that room downstairs could tell. So they sent me to watch after you. Even you are not such a fool, Lord Kain, as to believe that we would let a free radical like you go wandering around without supervision. Now, if I am so weak, why would they have sent me, and not another Elder?"

Kain regarded her, unsure of what to say to something like that. To be truthful, several of the vampires in the blood bank had shown only the barest indication that they had noticed his presence, other than the mildest of curiosity, and he'd been too hungry to care. The fledgling in the kitchen had reacted negatively, but he had assumed that had been due to the difference in age and his fearsome appearance. Apparently, it hadn't been.

"The corruption," he could barely hear Raziel whisper in his ear. "They can feel the taint of our Nosgoth's corruption on you."

"I'm not trying to insult you sir," Rastha continued, unabated. She obviously hadn't heard the wraith's comment. "You just need to know that things work differently than what you're used to. I know you are angry with me for the way I treated Eric. He was distracted and tired, and he is only human after all. What would be the benefit of getting mad at him or smacking him around? It would only take him longer to do what I asked him to do. He spends most of his workday with vampires. He is well aware how much stronger our kind are. It would prove nothing to waste my valuable energy and time trying to intimidate him.

Because I act the way I act around humans, I get certain benefits. The lack of fear, for one thing, really lubricates financial and social transactions. I don't have to stand around for fifteen minutes, waiting for the cowering to stop. They know me, so they trust me. I have a reputation. And while it may not inspire fear in the hearts of my enemies, I don't exactly _have_ many enemies either. When something bad happens, I'm the first one to know, and thus the first one to react. The humans come to me with their concerns, and the Elders trust me to take care of problems for them. In exchange for everything I do, I am given both responsibilities and privileges. I may not seem like much to someone like you, but here, in this day and age, it is the only thing that holds value, and I would not change it for the world."

"I dislike repeating myself, girl," Kain found himself growling. If he didn't need her guidance in this dimension to find the Scions he'd have struck her head from her shoulders by now. "Why are you telling me this?"

"There is a short, and a long answer to that question," Rastha said, somehow her voice had dropped a menacing note or two while still maintaining an almost friendly quality. "But you will no doubt ask for the short one, and that is all we really time for. The short answer is that while I don't trust you in any way, shape or form, you can trust me." Rastha paused and seemed to study Kain's startled reaction to her words for a moment before resuming, "You should also know that no one else is going to trust you either. You need me, plain and simple. There is going to be no backstabbing with that pretty little talking Reaver of yours, which you haven't explained to me yet, incidentally. Without me there, the hunters will take one look at you and go ballistic, if the more finely attuned ones don't try and pick you off before we get anywhere near the building first. I may be 'weak' according to your judgement, but you are going to need me to survive, and I need you to understand that. Do you?"

Kain let out a peal of cynical laughter. He couldn't help himself. "Are you trying to ensure that I do not attempt to betray you? Fledgling, I have trusted very few people during my prolonged existence, and it usually did not turn out very well for either side. What on Nosgoth makes you think that I will trust _you_?"

Rastha nodded her head absently, before saying, "I don't doubt that, milord, and I'm not expecting you to trust me. I'm just letting you know that you can." There was a gentle conviction to those words.

Kain stared at her in confusion. He was seized by a compulsion to believe her. The urge was so strong and so completely out of character that he finally realized that it was just one in a long string of silent influences that had been prodding at his mind while Rastha spoke. There was only the slightest tingling in the back of his head to indicate that anything was wrong. Kain pressed one of his clawed hands to his skull, trying to shake the compulsion off.

"Stop it," he snarled at her furiously.

"Huh?" Rastha blinked at him before a flush of embarrassment stole over her face, her pale cheeks tingeing the palest shade of pink. The pressure in his head immediately vanished. "Oh god! I'm sorry sir," she said contritely, "I didn't realize I was doing that! I just recently came out of an evolution and I've been wrestling with a couple of new Dark Gifts. Elder Toroth calls that one 'Persuasion'. Basically, it causes people to go along with whatever I'm saying; a kind of hypnosis; but it only works when I'm talking out loud. It's not as versatile as 'Charm', but it functions well on a lot of the Elders; I'm not sure why. Anyway, I'm very sorry sir. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Please don't be angry with me." She bowed before him, shoulders tense, as if expecting a blow to descend.

Kain felt a heavy weight ease from his chest. Good, she hadn't been inside his head after all. It had disturbed him that she might have been, especially since he hadn't detected it at first. But now that he was paying attention, he realized she was telling him the truth. The compulsion did alleviate every time she was silent. While his face remained impassive, inwardly he wanted to laugh again. Diplomat indeed, she would be a deadly politician if she ever mastered that ability.

"So they sent you along to 'persuade' me not to cause too much destruction," he commented aloud. "Very well, resist doing that to me again and I will resist the urge to kill you. Do we have an understanding?" He didn't trust the female for a moment anymore, but he did still need her help.

He watched Lieutenant Rastha's shoulders relax and she straightened up with a bright smile. "Yes, my Lord Kain. We understand each other."

"Then let us cease this idle chatter and proceed on to the real goal, before your brother is too dead to benefit from any warnings you may want to give him," Kain ordered her.

Rastha giggled, but he could see the concentration in her face when she responded. It seemed her 'Persuasion' gift was difficult to repress at times. "Yes indeed, my lord. But I never actually said I actually _wanted _to warn him, I said I had to. Far as I'm concerned, the bastard's had it coming for decades. Anyway, if you'd follow me, it shouldn't take us more than ten minutes if we travel via the rooftops." Rastha proceeded to run the length of the roof, travelling towards the north. As she reached the edge of the cement square, the muscles in her legs bunched and she launched herself in a great leap to the roof of a nearby building. Kain followed close on her heels.

Rastha said nothing as he pursued her through the city's winding maze of streets, rooftops and dazzling lights. She was actually very hard to keep up with, her legs completing jumps with an effortlessness that even Kain had trouble managing. He had the distinct impression that she was running deliberately slower than she was used to, so that he could keep up to her. Kain was not offended. She was being very careful not to draw attention to the disparity, and he readily acknowledged that every vampire evolved in his or her own unique way. She could keep her speed. It wasn't very often that he needed to run anywhere, and teleportation served him well enough for travelling.

Every once in a while she would pull ahead and stop, looking around at the vast cityscape below as she waited for him to catch up. Kain took his time, studying his surroundings deliberately as he tried to keep track of where they were going. If it weren't for the glaring sign that crested the blood bank, he would not have been able to tell where the building with the portal back to his Nosgoth was located. Streets wove into one another in a complicated pattern of grids, and streams of lights traveled up and down their lengths, with one road curving out into the forest and towards Vasserbunde at the head of the Lake of Tears. Kain wondered idly if Nupraptor's Retreat existed here in this dimension, but he suspected not. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he very nearly ran past Rastha, where she sat crouched on the peak of a tall, crumbling, church-like edifice.

A rectangle of some strange black material was clutched in her talons, and she was staring intently down at something on the street.

"I don't have time for this tonight," she muttered, before pressing a red button on the side of the device and speaking into it. "Dispatch, this is Lieutenant Rastha. Do you copy? Over."

"Copy that, Lieutenant. What is your situation? Over." The box radiated a scratching sound that offended Kain's ears, but the voice coming from it was distinctly human.

"I have a Code six-twelve, at Fifth and Ottmar. Repeat; there is an armed robbery in progress at the Royal Bank on the corner of Fifth and Ottmar. Request multiple officers present. Do you read me? Over." Rastha responded calmly.

There was a pause at the other end before the woman's voice answered. "Copy. We read you, Lieutenant. Swat teams are en route. Wait for their arrival on scene before proceeding. Officer Marks is in command. Over."

"Negative on that, Dispatch. I can't wait around. Tell Marks I'll draft a report tomorrow. Rastha out." Rastha pulled the device away from her mouth and flicked a switch on the bottom, silencing the buzzing noise. "Sorry about that, sir," Rastha replaced the contraption in a pocket on her leather harness. "Can't neglect my duties." She tapped the device, answering the question that Kain hadn't bothered to ask. "It's a non-magical communication device called a two-way radio. I just called in someone else to take care of the problem for me."

When Kain didn't respond she began to run across the rooftops, this time without pausing to look around. One last colossal leap and they were standing on top of a low office building, the mortal employees having left hours ago for their own homes. The forest was not far from this vantage point. Only a few edifices more and you would be wandering among the trees. Rastha jerked her head in the direction of their destination, a long, low manor house, surrounded by a high brick wall. The grounds were neatly maintained, though no lights were burning in the house. The strong scent of many vampires emanated from it. The only thing lying between them and the villa was a ring of humans and machines surrounding the entire perimeter, bright glowing lights on electric poles pointed in the manor's direction. Kain's eyes narrowed as he detected the gleam of polished metal and oiled leather. Most were dressed in cloth armour similar to what Rastha wore, though here and there he saw what looked suspiciously like full plate armour. Long banners trailed in the breeze, bearing among other crests, the symbol of the Saraphan Order, or in this case, Bloodline. These were the infamous Hunters. He glanced over at Rastha. She appeared unsurprised and unconcerned.

"This is going to be a little tricky sir," Rastha instructed him gently. "I need you to stay very close to me, and I respectfully ask you to please try not to say anything or do anything unless I instruct you otherwise. This will be difficult enough to accomplish without you adding to the mix." She didn't give him time to object, instead launching herself over the edge of the office building to land lightly on her hooves, only a few feet away from the nearest hunter. Kain emulated her reluctantly, though he couldn't manage her distance, and so dropped into the shadows of the building.

Rastha strode past the nearest hunter boldly, flashing the badge pinned to her chest when he moved to block her. The human backed off, releasing his weapons, his movements the mechanics of habit. Apparently, it wasn't the first time the vampiress had attempted something like this. She jumped onto the nose of one of the broad, rectangular machines, scanning the crowd. The humans ignored her actions, the tense grips on their weapons loosening as they continued to scrutinize the villa and its grounds. Kain watched the reactions of the hunters from the shadows several feet away. He'd chosen to hang back a ways, both to observe the Bloodline Hunters, and to watch Rastha interact with them. The possibility of a trap had surfaced near the forefront of his mind, and however improbable it was, he still did not want to walk blindly into it.

"Who's in command here?" Rastha shouted over the heads of the gathered hunters.

"Right over here, Lieutenant." A grizzled, silver-haired old man stepped forward from the crowd, pushing his younger constituents out of the way. He was clad in the traditional armour of a Saraphan Knight that Kain immediately recognized, and a longsword and shield were strapped across his back. "What do you want this time?"

Rastha's gaze centered onto him and she groaned aloud. "Not you again! You always give me such a hard time, Sentinel Malek. Why is that?" Kain's eyes widened at the name. This was the Guardian of Conflict? Of course, the last time he had seen the human, the man had been a raging, bodiless spirit possessing his own suit of armour, but still. It was shocking to see this particular human looking so… composed in the presence of a vampire.

"If you can't guess, vampire, I'm not going to tell you," the human grasped her ankle and tugged on the leather straps holding the bracers to her calves. "Now get off the hood of my truck before you scratch the paint any more than you already have."

"Oops," Rastha chuckled guiltily, "My bad. I forgot." She hopped off the metal to land on her cloven feet beside the head Bloodline Hunter.

"I assume this isn't a social call," Malek crossed his arms and regarded Rastha in a threatening manner.

"Not really," Rastha smirked at him, as if she was completely oblivious to the hostility emanating from him. "Though if you're offering, I'd be more than willing to drop by for dinner. Just kidding, just kidding. Come on old man; loosen up a little. It's not going to kill you, and I don't bite. Well, not often anyway, and certainly not your kind."

"Rastha," Malek reprimanded her, his stern reproach demanding compliance.

"Sorry," Rastha ran an anxious talon through her hair. "It's been a tough day. You know me. Anyway, there were just a few things I wanted to ask you about. First off, where are the Scions? It's not like them to be this late for a hunt."

"Don't worry your pretty little head over them, lieutenant," Malek advised her quietly. There was an ingrained suspicion in his words. "They are where they are supposed to be. You don't have the authorization to know anything else."

"Okay," Rastha said quietly, a little of her temper beginning to flare up. "There are only three ways into my brother's house; the front door, the roof, or the sewer access. That leaves one of two options; they're coming by helicopter, or they're coming through the sewer access. Hell, maybe they're going both ways. In either case, the only reason you lot are here is to stop any spill-off from the real fight and cut off retreat. Since I already know that much, you might as well tell me when the jaws of the trap are set to snap shut. How long until it's a go?"

Malek considered the vampiress for a few silent moments. "Very well," he conceded reluctantly as he pulled back his sleeve and checked a bracelet-like gadget on his wrist. "It's all set to go down at exactly one-seventeen sharp. That's all the Scions deigned to tell me, so I can't tell you much more than that I'm afraid."

"That gives me twenty minutes then," Rastha pondered the matter aloud, staring off in the direction of her brother's home.

"Fifteen minutes for what?" Malek demanded.

Before Rastha could formulate an answer, another hunter ran towards then, shouting at Malek, "Dad! Dad! I found out where Rahab and Raziel are!"

"And here we find yet another familiar face," the wraith Raziel sighed wistfully in Kain's ear.

A young, dark-haired hunter pushed through a pack of his brethren to stand before Malek, doubled in half and panting. He bore the symbol of the Saraphan Bloodline on the back of his soft armour, and he filled it out remarkably well for one so youthful, his broad shoulders reaching nearly as wide as his father's, despite his teenage years.

"Take a deep breath, Dumah," Malek instructed him, pounding the young human on the back as he coughed and struggled to catch his breath. "What is it?"

"Mom just called," Dumah panted. "Apparently the police contacted the house. They've been arrested." He glared accusingly at Rastha.

"Hey," she protested, raising her claws in front of her chest defensively. "Don't look at me. They were not in custody the last time I saw them. I haven't had time to arrest _anybody _tonight."

"We'll deal with it later, Dumah," Malek reassured the young man. "Calm down. It wouldn't be the first time Raziel's been detained overnight. I expect it won't be the last either. He'll take care of Rahab." He turned back to the vampire lieutenant. "Now, you haven't answered any of my questions. Why do want to see the Scions, and why did you want to know how long until the attack?"

"I know this is a rather unorthodox request," Rastha pleaded with the Sentinel Malek. "But I really need you to consider listening to me. I want to go inside and try and talk my brother into letting his fledglings go. If I can do that, would you try not to shoot them on the way out the door?" Kain could detect the stirrings that signalled the vampiress was using a Dark Gift. She must have been bringing her brand of 'Persuasion' to bear on the vampire hunter. "I know you're really not supposed to allow people on scene, believe me, but I'd like to keep the casualties to a minimum today, and you know he'll use them as meat shields given the slightest provocation. It's not like he doesn't know the Scions will be descending upon him already."

"No, Rastha," Malek denied her request and tried to turn away. But the compulsion she'd planted was working on him, and he couldn't leave it there. "It's not that I don't trust you to do what you say you'll do, but it's against procedure, and it's very unlikely that Korzen will even listen to you, the stubborn bastard. I'll just be giving him a valuable hostage to play cards with."

"I know its risky," Rastha tried to soothe the Sentinel's concerns. The compulsion increased. "But we really don't have a choice. If there's a chance I can save just a few of them, I'm going to take it. It's my duty, and it's something that not even you can deny me."

Malek's face seemed strained as he tried to make sense of what was happening to him. He pressed a hand to his head and let out a deep breath. "So that's why you took that three-month sabbatical," he grumbled, "You went through an evolution. It was short and it isn't showing physically, so I assume you must have gained a new Dark Gift then."

"How did you know?" Rastha asked in confusion, taking a defensive step backwards.

"I'm pretty sure you're using it on me right now," Malek complained, "You mind turning it off?"

"Oops," the vampiress scolded herself, "Not again! That's the second time tonight. I just haven't got the hang of the damn thing yet. Give me a minute." Her brow furrowed in concentration.

Malek's expression gradually eased, and he rubbed his temple. "That's much better, Rastha. Thank you. Look, in principle I agree with you. Really, I do. You just want to protect your kind. I can't fault you for that. But in truth, you and I both know that there's not a chance in hell you'll get Korzen to change his mind, so why bother? You'd be risking everything, and gaining nothing."

"Won't you at least let me _try_," Rastha insisted stubbornly. Kain had never seen a vampire beg a human for anything before. He was sure he never wanted to repeat the experience.

Malek stared at her helplessly before relenting. "Very well. But it's your own head you're risking. I'm not taking any responsibility for the results."

"And I don't expect you to," Rastha agreed. "Thank you, Sentinel Malek." She glanced around, suddenly realizing that the dangerous vampire she was supposed to be escorting wasn't present. "Lord Kain? Where did you go? It's safe to come out now. They're going to let us through. Kain!"

Kain took in the startled expressions of the human's present, and stepped into the halo of light, allowing the constant beams of illumination to distinguish his fearsome countenance. Several of the hunters blanched and took a step back. He found himself enjoying their reactions, a mixture of repressed anger and the barest undercurrent of natural fear.

"Who's he, Rastha?" Malek challenged the vampiress. "You didn't mention a guest." Both he and Dumah fingered their strange weapons, looking very worried as the vampire emperor stepped closer and closer.

"Malek," Rastha tried to reassure the hunter, though she didn't disguise her insulted pride. "In all your family's records, in all the legends you have heard, and in your personal living memory, have I ever done something that could be in any way interpreted as dangerous to the human species? No, I have not. Never. Not even once. After one entire millennia of almost flawless behaviour, I'd appreciate it if you hunters would quit riding me about every single little thing I do. Certainly I've earned your respect, if not your trust, by now. Haven't I?"

Malek sighed, and waved a weary hand at the tense crowd of hunters. The words that left his mouth astonished Kain. "All right boys. Let's all calm down and put the guns away. If Rastha says its okay, it must be. Go back to your jobs now. Move it." He rounded on Rastha and muttered, "Don't make me regret this."

"But Dad," Dumah protested, the only hunter who had not obeyed their leader's direct order. He'd levelled his barrel in the direction of Kain's chest. "Look at him. He doesn't match any description in the records. He's a god damned elder, and I bet he's not even registered. You're not about to let them march in and meet with Korzen, are you? Do you have some sort of death wish?"

"Dumah," Kain snarled at the young human before either Malek or Rastha could respond. Scolding his former son just came naturally to him. "You will point that weapon elsewhere, or I will not hesitate to impale your-" Kain got no further before the human sighted along the barrel and fired. Discretion was never Dumah's strong point.

The muzzle of the weapon flashed as the first projectile left it, followed by a stream of others. Something embedded itself in Kain's shoulder and he was forced back a step, more out of shock than anything else, staring at the wound. He looked up to see that Rastha had grasped the end of the weapon in one set of talons, holding the barrel downwards as the human emptied his clip into the surface of the road, while her other triad of claws was latched around his throat, forcing the human's head back without drawing blood. The weapon soon stopped firing and the noise died off, save a series of repeating clicks. An uneven crater smouldered beneath the nose of the weapon.

The moment was frozen, with the surrounding hunters staring at them in shock.

"Malek," Rastha threatened, her voice a soft whisper, "Tell your son to remove his finger from that trigger, or I will take great pleasure in crushing his larynx."

There were several more metallic clicks from the Saraphan as they trained their weapons on her.

"I told you lot to put those firearms away," Malek bellowed at them, before turning back to Dumah. The men complied reluctantly. "Come on, son. Ease up off the trigger. You're out of bullets anyway. You're just looking like an idiot."

Dumah's hand shook before the clicking ceased, and he dropped the weapon to the ground. Rastha gently released him, pulling her claws away. She had been careful not to scratch his skin, though three fresh purple bruises lined his neck. The young man stumbled backwards, catching his weight on the side of the strange rectangular vehicle to stay upright.

Kain dug his claws into his wounded shoulder, trying to feel the projectile he knew was still imbedded within. The small nub of metal came loose into his palm, not even the size of a fingertip.

"It's called a bullet," the vampiress informed him, peeking at the tiny pellet.

"I've seen them before," Kain replied darkly, flattening the steel in his palm before tossing the metal over his shoulder. The Saraphan had used them during their first campaign, though the technology was lost over the years. Of course, this modern design had so much more… presence.

"This is Lord Kain, hunter." Rastha introduced predator and prey, drawing herself up with regal dignity as if nothing had happened. "Lord Kain, this is Sentinel Malek, patriarch of the Saraphan Clan. I trust that you both shall never have occasion to meet again." She turned back to Malek. "Elder Toroth told me to watch after him for now. He'll be coming with me. Does this alleviate your fear for me somewhat, Master Hunter?"

Malek didn't respond to the jibe, instead evaluating Kain with an experienced, critical eye. Though the violence was not on the surface, Kain could still detect the man's inherently ferocious nature swimming beneath the layer of cool civility. "You wield a Reaver, do you?" the Sentinel asked without preamble.

"I have that privilege," Kain's response was neutral. He recalled Rastha's warnings about the illegality of his weapon when Malek allowed a disapproving frown to cross his features.

"Let's not be hypocritical," Rastha admonished the hunter with a playful smile, her clawed hand reaching out to tap on the cloth-wrapped hilt of his longsword. Malek pulled away on reflex, though he said nothing.

"Be off with you then," Malek turned his back to them. "I have an assault to oversee. My men will be waiting to see if any vampire who emerges is armed or not. Tell your relatives that if they are, they will be shot on sight. Now go, before I change my mind."

"Yes, sir!" Rastha gave the hunter a mocking salute and set out to cross the gap between the barricade and the villa.

Kain gave his former enemy and his former son one last, lingering stare before turning to follow her across the roadway.

**(I am trying very hard not to make Rastha a Mary-sue. She only has two abilities that Kain does not: she's an Empath, and has super-speed and reflexes, like a cheetah. Everything else, Kain beats her in, hands down. Actually, Kain tries to kill her in the next chapter. Tee hee! )**


	6. Chapter 6: The Scions

**Post-Defiance Fan Fiction: Mirrors of Balance**

**By: Dragonaia**

**Disclaimer: **The Legacy of Kain games belong to Eidos, not to me, much though I may wish it. The OOC involved in this fiction belong to me however: Rastha, Kainen/Katherine, the Voice, and the few secondary others. My retribution will be swift and horrifying.

**Author's Comments: **Even by my terms, this chapter was finished quickly. It's big though, I warn you. I originally planned to make it even bigger, but that seemed a tad excessive given the medium, so I divided it into two large chunks. Kain doesn't get in a real fight until the next chapter. Sorry guys.

**Chapter 6: The Scions**

"What's the matter, sir?" Rastha asked Kain, as she pushed open the gate into the garden, crushing the lock in her claws.

"What's gives you the impression that I am troubled by something, fledgling?" Kain answered her question with a question. Not that she was wrong, but it disturbed him that she was able to read the discomfort he was trying to hide.

"Well," Rastha explained, striding confidently into the middle of the grounds as if she was the master of this place. "First off, I'm not a fledgling. I haven't been for some nine hundred years. Secondly, I've always been able to tell what people were feeling, if not what they were thinking. I can vaguely recall being able to do it when I was still human. So I ask again, sir, what's troubling you?"

Kain seriously contemplated not answering her, but after a moment's thought he reconsidered. She would only hound him otherwise, and he was curious what her answer would be. "It amazes me that you are on such good terms with the hunters, that they would bend rules and trust you like that. I also wonder what you meant when you told the hunter of your 'flawless behaviour'. What sort of reputation do you have?"

Rastha laughed, that arrogant, annoying giggle that Kain was becoming all-too familiar with. "I was waiting for you to get around to asking me that. 'Flawless behaviour' doesn't mean what you think it means. I'm no angel. I have killed before, many of them hunters. I was raised in Vorador's Court after all, and I _am_ a vampire. My reputation is secured in that when I did kill, it was always for right, just reasons, or because someone was trying to kill me. I have never betrayed anyone, or cheated, or lied, or mislead in any significant way. How many people could say that after a thousand years? The modern hunters are willing to forgive my past crimes perpetrated against their ancestors because I'm practical-minded, I've never made or assisted anyone else in a bid for ultimate power and empire, and because my actions were usually justified, no matter how romanticised they wish their family history to be. Why? Did you think I was some kind of informant?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," Kain admitted without guilt. He didn't believe a word she said of course, but he would patronize her until she'd secured his way into the nest. After her usefulness had expired… well, he had ways of dealing with such nuisances.

"The hunters don't need informants, sir. They do well enough on their own." Rastha marched down the stone-lined path into the hedges, weaving through the maze to reach the heavy wood and iron doors of the estate.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kain demanded, nearly treading on her heels in his efforts to make her move faster.

Rastha snorted. "You'll find out soon enough. Hopefully, it won't be the hard way." She extended her talons to grasp the heavy brass knocker, slamming it down quite forcefully to make herself heard.

There was a buzz of electronics and a white panel near the frame blared to life. "Whoever you are, this had damn well better be good," a woman's voice threatened ominously.

The vampire pressed a glowing green button on the panel and spoke into it, "Open up, Rae. It's Rastha. I've got news for you."

"Thank the gods! Get your ass in here!" There was no mistaking the intense relief in those words, and a loud alarm blared, the lock mechanism triggered of its own volition. Brightness flooded through the door as the light sources inside the room were ignited, causing both vampires to flinch back with temporary loss of sight.

Rastha wrenched the door open, holding it wide for Kain to catch behind her. They stepped into a richly furnished foyer, a blend of modern and ancient comforts that Kain was not familiar with. The room was paved with marble tiles, and a set of large double staircases curved up into a landing that overlooked the room. It was the perfect place for a noble to receive his guests, and impose his own superiority over them. Finely crafted silk brocade rugs lay underfoot, the patterning foreign to him, but the quality was obvious. Worn patches, here and there, showed where the cloven feet of the older vampires had torn into the fabric. The spacious room was well lit by sconces on the walls, radiating a constant yellow glow, and a chandelier built of shards of crystal dangled from the ceiling. Paintings and amazingly accurate portraits lined the walls, some of them appearing so precise they could have been taken straight from life.

"Looks pretty tranquil, huh?" Rastha commented, her voice low, but playful. "Would you like to see an example of what I meant by 'hidden dangers' when you first arrived here?" She pointed out several dark boxes that projected from the walls in innocuous corners of the room. "That's called a video camera. Smile to the folks at home, Kain." She waved merrily at the nearest device when it moved of its own accord, training a shining, circular piece of dark glass in their direction.

"What?" Kain stared at the inoffensive object.

"People are watching us through those things, and the images picked up are being recorded for later reference. If you need to talk about something, let me know so I can find a blank space in the grid for privacy." Rastha had dismissed them already, staring intently at a small door just to their left. "I wouldn't worry about it though. It's just for your future reference. The one doing the watching right now is my sibling's eldest child, Rae. She's the only member of Umah's brood who actively likes me. In fact, she should be here any minute now." There was the distant sound of footsteps pounding towards them. "Ah, here she comes."

The door flew open and a dark blur raced in their direction, flinging itself at the vampiress. Rastha hadn't expected that. She nearly flew backwards with the force of contact, her cloven feet shredding the expensive carpet as she fought to stay upright. A vampiress about Cyrix's age had wrapped her arms around Rastha in a crushing grip, burying her face in the officer's chest. She wore pretty much the same style of clothing that Kain had seen sported by humans on the street, apparently having adapted modern dress as well as the technology. A blood red, v-necked, sateen shirt covered her top half, and her lower portion was clothed in long pinstriped pants. Her feet were, as yet, un-evolved, so she wore black leather boots with spiked heels. It was positively conservative compared to the things he'd seen the female vampires in Vorador's court wear. Instead of the long hair typical of vampires, her black hair had been clipped severely short. Rastha staggered as she tried to hold the newcomer upright.

"Thank god, thank god, thank god, thank god," the younger vampire repeated over and over again, the words muffled by the chest of Rastha's starched uniform.

"Umm… Rae," Rastha said awkwardly, "You're wrinkling my uniform. Get off!" She pushed the other female to her feet, trying to throw off her arms.

Rae still maintained a good grip on the sleeves of Rastha's coat though, taloned fingernails digging into the dark black/blue leather. "Sorry," the vampiress laughed, her voice almost hysterical. "I'm just a little freaked out is all, and I'm really glad you're here. You wouldn't believe how terrible a day this has been!"

"Try me," Rastha responded dryly. She jerked her head in Kain's direction.

Rae finally tore her eyes away from her saviour, and turned her frantic amber gaze on Kain, eyes widening. She released Rastha and drew herself up, making a valiant effort to recover her dignity. Kain could detect aristocracy in the stance she had assumed. This one hadn't been turned for her looks, though they were lovely; she had been turned for her skills as an aide and her knowledge of protocol and etiquette, the perfect accompaniment to any aspiring politician or conqueror. He'd acquired a few like her over the years himself.

"Who's this?" the new female whispered to Rastha.

Rastha introduced them to each other with careful politeness. "Sir, this is Rae-Lin Nerin, first born of the House of Korzen. Rae, this Lord Kain."

"Welcome to House Korzen, milord," Rae bowed her head carefully, the golden piercings on her pointed ears sounding an elegant jangle as she did so. Kain almost missed the questioning glare Rae shot Rastha; it was so brief.

"Elder Toroth had instructed me to escort his lordship until he feels that the Lord Kain has adapted to the new century," Rastha replied in response to the look, her tone diplomatic.

Rae's mouth formed an 'oh' of understanding. "You know what, I think it would be a very good idea if we stepped into the hall to continue this conversation." She indicated a darkened archway near the foot of one of the stairways, and moved towards it, leaving the halo of brightness projected by the lights inside the foyer. Rastha treaded behind her, beckoning Kain forward. Kain ground his teeth. He was tired of being made to follow her, like a sheep would the shepherd. He would be very glad when he had finally obtained what he was there for.

The hallways were lined with dormant lights, though the moonlight pouring through the broad glass windows provided more than enough illumination to see by. The walls were dark panelled wood and fabric, studded with doors and archways into a further maze of rooms and corridors, their functions difficult for Kain to decipher. By the time he'd rejoined them in an alcove off the hall, they were already engaged in an urgent conversation. He could see a rotating black box on the wall at the far side of the passage, though it was not pointed in their direction.

"They're coming for us, aren't they?" Rae interrogated Rastha, her eyes wide and terrified.

"They aren't coming for you or the other fledges, they're coming for your sire. Calm down," Rastha assured her, hands pressed to the other's shoulders in an effort to comfort her. "I've taken care of it. I talked to the Sentinel on the way in; he's going to let the unarmed vampires through the battle lines. I need you to settle down and focus for me."

"How long do we have?"

Rastha checked her bracelet again. "About ten minutes, give or take. I'm not sure. They won't be coming by the front door either, but I suppose Korzen already expected that."

"Helicopter and the sewer lines," Rae concurred with a wise nod of her head. "Do you know who's taken the contract?"

"The Scions obviously," Rastha shrugged. "Who else? Look, if we want to get everybody out, we've got to move fast. Remember that escape plan we came up with about three years ago?"

"Vaguely…" Rae's voice trailed off with uncertainty.

"I don't see we have much choice but to use it. Now-" Rastha started, but Rae cut her off.

"Rastha, I'm not sure that's the best plan," Rae said, looking around nervously, "You know how Korzen will react if he finds out."

"Who gives a shit?" Rastha exclaimed. "Son of a bitch is going to be dead in a little under an hour anyway! What's he going to do? Haunt you? You were once the duchess of your own royal house, Rae; re-grow your backbone. Or has Korzen beaten it all the way out of you?"

Rae's eyes narrowed and she hissed her displeasure.

"I thought so," Rastha approved. "Now, you start the evacuation, I'll go downstairs and distract Korzen from knowing what's going on until it's too late. With any luck I'll be able to convince him to let some of his older children out too."

"When pigs fly," Rae snorted.

"In freight they do," Rastha replied. "Anyway, if I don't manage to distract that idiot long enough, Lord Kain here certainly might. No offence, sir." She turned her head and nodded in his direction.

But Kain had finally had enough. "Where is this Korzen?" he asked, his voice betraying the symphony of menace boiling beneath. Both vampires turned to regard Kain with anxious expressions.

"Why do you ask?" Rae inquired diffidently.

"He wants to meet the Scions," Rastha muttered the answer.

"Why would he want to do something crazy like that?"

"Beats me."

Kain growled his aggravation, jerking them back to reality.

"Uh…" Rastha began to timidly answer his question. "If memory serves and I'm correct, you'll find him in that ridiculous 'throne room' of his," she looked to Rae, who nodded in agreement. "It's located past the last door at the very end of this hall here. The whole nest is built in a centralized pattern around it. Keep walking around and you're bound to find it eventually."

Kain looked down the deserted hallway. That was simple enough. At least the master vampire would be easy to find. He turned to make his way towards the throne room when he felt a cautionary hand descend to his forearm.

"Wait a minute, sir," Rastha protested, her claws digging into the leather of his gauntlets. "You can't just walk in there. You might get caught in the crossfire when the Scions-"

Kain's last thread of patience snapped and he grasped the vampiress by the throat, slamming her into the wall. The panelling let out an audible groan of protest on impact, and several nearby sculptures and panes of glass shook. Rastha's cloven feet dangled in the air, the tips of her hooves barely managing to scrape the wooden floor, and her hands clutched at his arm in a feeble attempt to pull her neck loose. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kain only squeezed harder, cutting off any chance of passing air through her throat. Her mouth continued to open and close, and her brow furrowed in confusion and a little pain. She tugged at his wrist, not enough to be interpreted as an attack or any real effort to escape, but to silently ask Kain to let her go.

"No, I will not release you," Kain said in response to her unspoken question. "I will, however, make something very clear to you before I kill you. Never before have I endured such buffoonery. Had I not required your help, I would have destroyed you within minutes of our first meeting. I believe I have been more than tolerant considering the circumstances, but I will suffer your amusements no more. You are as insane as this damn place is, and I wish to be away from it as soon as possible. So thank you for the paltry assistance you gave me," he drew the Reaver from its sheath, "And I hope you enjoy hell."

"Wait!" Rae cried, reaching up courageously to forestall the hand that held the Reaver. "You can't do that! We need Rastha, and even were that not enough of a reason; she's a favourite of the Elders! They'll hunt you down and kill you themselves!"

"Your admonitions mean nothing to me!" Kain snapped at her. "I could destroy your Elders easily, as weak and soft as they are! Now, desist before I decide to kill you as well!"

Rae continued to pull on his wrist, though her valiant efforts were for naught. Kain threw the vampiress off, catching her in the chest with his elbow and sending her flying down the hall. On her way down she collided with a large vase or urn and knocked it off its pedestal with a resounding crash. As the sound of shattering china rang throughout the passage, one of the doors opened and a black-haired fledgling stuck his head out the door. His ears were still rounded, and his skin still retained a faint tan. He couldn't have been more than a month undead.

"Sire!" the young one cried out, rushing to Rae's side and pulling her upright. "What's going on? Are you all right?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Grant," Rae pushed his hands away, straightening her shirt.

"Gods!" the fledgling's attention switched to Rastha's predicament. "What the hell are you doing, you crazy, messed-up, freak of nature! You're going to kill the Lieutenant!" He pointed an accusing finger at Kain.

Rae stuck out a hand to forestall any more commentary. "Quiet, Grant."

"But Rastha!" the young one exclaimed. "He's going to kill her with a _Reaver_! You know what that means. And why the hell doesn't she just shoot him? That Magnum could take out his heart in one shot if she was lucky, and he's not paying much attention! Why the hell is she just taking his abuse?"

"I said, 'Be quiet!'" Rae clamped her hand over her fledgling's mouth before he could say anything more.

Kain hesitated, looking Rastha up and down. True, she hadn't really done much to defend herself. She wasn't nearly powerful enough to defeat him, but she did have more than adequate abilities to make a getaway if she truly wanted to.

"What's a 'Magnum'?" Kain asked the fledgling. He found himself, yet again, forced to ignore insults in exchange for information.

"The gun," Grant explained, eyeing him nervously. "Depending on the grade of her ammo, she could plug you full of holes big enough to pass an arm through. She's upgraded her firearm since I last saw her."

Kain studied the weapon strapped to her hip. It was barely the size of his extended talons, but size was no way to judge the damage it might be capable of inflicting. Rastha raised her palms to either side of her head as if to show that she had no intention of attacking him, her hands as far from her weapon as could be. Kain hesitated. He could feel Raziel radiating his disapproval and caution through his grip on the hilt of the Reaver. Killing humans or Hylden came naturally to him, but even he had a small measure of sympathy for his own kind. This one was irritating, but she had done nothing to warrant her death, besides intensifying his frustration. He could not justify her execution. Heaving an exasperated sigh, he released the vampire officer to collapse to the floor below.

"Be warned," he threatened with a soft growl. "I will only tolerate your behaviour for so long. You have been granted a reprieve, a rare enough event in and of itself. You will not be given a second one. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes sir," Rastha coughed hoarsely. "Crystal clear, sir." She continued to rub at her throat as she pushed herself to her feet. "It's a good thing I don't actually _need_ to breathe, eh guys?" She flashed her two compatriots a reassuring grin. They did not return it, still eyeing Kain uneasily. "You are right to be angry with me, sir," she said, sheepish over her behaviour. A respectful, elegant bow emphasized the sentiment. "I behave badly when I am under stress. I will be more contained from this point onwards."

"See that you are." Kain was satisfied with that. Her eyes were wary now, not mocking, and the self-assuredness had dissipated.

"I will take you to my brother's court, if you wish it, sir," Rastha offered with careful humility, before turning to the concerned vampiress. "Rae, you will implement the plan. I will see to it that Korzen remains distracted. Head for the blood bank and stay there with Cyrix until the dusts settles adequately for you to return to the nest. I'll check in tomorrow morning to make sure everything progressed smoothly, and Elder Toroth has offered to keep guard over you until then. You will be perfectly safe. Now go, we don't have any time to loose, and these dalliances only delay us further."

"Yes, Lieutenant," Rae inclined her head in agreement.

"This way, my lord, if you will." Rastha began to hurry down the moon-gilt hallway, no longer caring that her taloned feet were gouging furrows in the expensive flooring. Kain hastened to keep up.

As he rounded a bend in the hall after her, he overheard the young fledgling remark to his sire, "I don't get it. Why'd she let that elder freak manhandle her that way? Rastha doesn't let anyone treat her like that. You don't think she likes him or something?" Kain hesitated to catch the aide's response despite himself.

"Don't be ridiculous. Rastha isn't that shallow. She just respects and values her Elders. Very much the way you should," there was a resounding '_smack_' at those words, "And if I ever catch you mouthing off to an old vampire like that again, I will not step in to help you next time. You'll be on your own. Come on, we have to get going. Under my authority, gather the fledges keeping guard on the perimeter, and meet me in the foyer."

Kain dismissed the rest of the conversation as unimportant and raced to catch up with his swiftly moving guide.

Rastha was waiting for him in front of a door at the far end of the hallway. She gave a violent twist of her wrist and tore the mechanism apart, wrenching the door open with her powerful claws. Glancing back over her shoulder, she called back to Kain. "I thought you were in a hurry, sir. What's taking you so long?"

Kain didn't deign to respond, ducking through the entryway she'd just opened into another, smaller, enclosed hallway. Twin bands of tiny, marble-shaped lights lined the floor, like beads on a string, and Rastha led him down the featureless corridor. As they neared another bend in their path, Rastha pressed a claw to her mouth for silence, motioning Kain closer.

"Okay, once we get into the room," she whispered, "It will be time to part ways. I'm going to talk to my brother, and I recommend, _recommend_, that you wait up in the top wings until the action is over with. The hunters are not permitted to attack anyone they do not have a warrant to hunt, unless they are attacked first. The Scions will be hanging around for quite a while, to clear the scene, so there's no need to worry about missing them. They'll probably be here for a few days. Just try to be patient, and don't interfere with the hunt. I don't know what you want them for, but that will not make them feel very generous towards you. Whether you take my advice or not; it's your choice, but I wouldn't waste your time if I didn't think it was valuable information."

Kain nodded his head in a noncommittal manner. He'd judge the situation for himself, but the advice would be retained.

Rastha smiled in relief. "All right. Let's go then." She turned the handle and quietly pushed the door open, again pausing so that Kain could catch it behind her.

The throne room was a modestly sized chamber, though it was built so that it sunk down three levels, the dais at the bottom acting as a stage for the master vampire seated below. Dark wood was complemented with rich, velvet tapestries, more thick carpets, and red silk curtains that lined the view from the platforms above the throne. The topmost floor where Rastha and Kain stood was empty, but the two floors below were packed with vampires Rastha's age and younger, though the youngest fledglings were mysteriously absent. Kain had not seen a gathering of so many of his own kind in one place since the height of his empire. Moonlight filtered down on the scene from the glass windows mounted in the ceiling, allowing the night sky to be viewed by those who chose to look upwards.

The vampire seated on the throne below had evolved beyond Rastha, tall even by vampire terms, and as he stood from his seat to bellow up at the ranks of frightened vampires, his clothes were stretched over the shape of his abnormally long and thick limbs. His mouth opened to reveal a second and third set of prodigious canines as he roared his fury, and his skin was a jaundiced hue. His long black hair, like Rastha's, was pulled back into a tail behind his head, but that was where the similarities between the two ended. Kain's knowledge of this world was limited, but he knew that this particular vampire had not personally embraced the change in the times. His clothing was old-world, and he wore a heavy suite of plate armour so large that it would have left the average vampire unable to move. A sword the length of his own leg was strapped to his waist, and he kept a tri-taloned fist gripped around it at all times, even when he sat in his throne to consider a matter put to him by one of his children.

Kain spared a glance at Rastha to judge her expression, one of barely concealed contempt. There was no love lost between the two vampiric siblings.

"Pardon me, sir," Rastha excused herself politely, climbing onto the railing. "But our paths must diverge here. I wish you the best of luck." He didn't respond, and she didn't expect him to, leaping out into the middle of the room without another word. She landed only five feet away from where her brother sat on his throne. There was no missing the pole-axed expression of surprise when Korzen noticed her.

"Lord Korzen," Rastha said, sweeping him a mocking bow.

"Leave, Rastha," the master vampire ordered, recovering. He stood up out of his throne, advancing on his shorter sister. "I do not have time for your mischief. Be gone with you!"

"I have never obeyed you before, Korzen." Rastha's false cheer vanished. She was unaffected by the attempted intimidation. "Do not think I will start today of all days. You should know better than that."

"Then why are you here, if not to cause trouble?" Korzen asked, his voice exasperated. He wheeled away, too familiar with her eccentric mannerisms to continue his threats. They would have no effect.

"I am here to gloat," she shrugged, "To mock, to taunt." Her eyes narrowed, "But mostly I am here to beseech you to release your children. Do not consign them to the same fate you will suffer. Your crimes are your own, not theirs. So should your punishment be." Rastha jerked her head in the direction of the tiers of vampires surrounding them. While none of them spoke, several looked like they wished to agree with her, but were too afraid to speak up.

"Enough sermonizing, Rastha," Korzen waved his hand dismissively. "Spin your falsehoods elsewhere. I have done nothing to deserve the humans' particular brand of 'justice', and you know that well enough." Despite his words, there was a certain scripted way with which he spoke his protests.

"What?" Rastha laughed, though there was no amusement in her voice or face. "You don't even know why the Scions are coming for you, do you?" She regarded her brother scornfully before continuing, "Very well then, I shall tell you. You know that little girl you tortured to death last month?"

Korzen's brow furrowed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, don't play the innocent with me," Rastha snapped, almost as if she was the elder in this situation. "Lie all you want, but everyone in this coven knows what I'm referring to. Well, I hope she was worth it, because she's the reason your little dynasty is about to fall. That girl was the stepdaughter of one of the Scion Sentinels! Her blood may have tasted ordinary, but you as good as killed one of the Scions themselves. Maybe if you'd paid a little bit of attention to what she was screaming when you were hurting her, you might have figured that out for yourself!" Rastha realized she was yelling at the master vampire now, and took several deep breaths to calm herself down. "You want to know how I know this? A couple of bloodline hunters came to Elder Toroth this afternoon and let him know what was going on. Wasn't that nice of them? Apparently the Scions have been petitioning the Warrant Officers non-stop for over two weeks for the right to add your skull to their extensive collection. Just think, maybe they'll sit you alongside Vorador's bones on his illustrious shelf in their dusty archives. The Scions are in a frenzy they're so pissed off with you. Even the other hunters are freaked the hell out. There's also a rumour floating about that the Wardens will be carrying enough C4 to level the block, so that even if they do loose, they'll be taking you down with them." She shook her head. "Either on the point of a Reaver, or in a fireball, you'll be dead by morning… brother."

Her words had a sobering effect on the master vampire, and his rage cooled into a veneer of deadly calm. Kain could see that several of the vampires looked frightened now, and a few of them were glaring at their leader accusingly, while others looked more resolute than ever.

A vampire slightly older than Rae stepped between the two siblings. "Let them come," he said, defying Rastha's admonitions. "They are merely human."

Rastha regarded the male a moment before bursting out in amusement, "Styx, little brother, you can tell you've never actually faced a bloodline hunter in battle before." She dismissed him and turned back to Korzen. "Heed my warnings. They will come for you, and they will kill many of your children if you are not careful, angry as they are. Let the others escape. The Saraphan Sentinel assured me that he would let the unarmed past the battle lines."

Korzen emitted a weary sigh before commanding his younger brother, "Send for Rae. Tell her to bring the fledglings down here to the throne room. We'll make our stand from this position, as planned."

The vampire in question closed his eyes, and Kain could detect the emanations that signalled the imperfect use of the 'Whisper'.

"I won't allow this, Korzen," Rastha threatened softly, "You do realize that, don't you?"  
"And I don't care," Korzen rebuffed the comment. "Well, Styx. Where is Rae?"

The vampire's eyes flew open and he stared at the master. "Gone, sir."

"What the hell do you mean by '_gone'_?" Korzen barked.

"She's already left with your fledglings in tow. Hadn't you noticed?" Rastha giggled, her golden eyes filled with a mischievous glint that quickly dissipated. "I told you I would not allow you to get them killed."

Korzen straightened up with an inarticulate roar. "What!"

There was a slight ripple of Persuasion as she proceeded to speak, a subtle push on the older vampire's mind. Now that the effect was not being focused on him, and it was being used with deliberation, Kain could appreciate the manipulative brilliance of such an ability.

"Your fledglings have already left the property," Rastha explained, her voice calm and level. "You have been made aware of the gravity of the situation, and you know that there is no escape, but that your children and siblings can leave safely. Please, allow your brood and the last few remnants of Umah's clan to live on without you. They will be taken care of, and you may even be remembered by _somebody_ as something other than the monster that you are. See reason."

The Persuasion calmed the master vampire enough that he did not attack her, but he would not be swayed. "No, Rastha," he snarled, "I am not some lamb to be led docilely to the slaughter. I will not fade silently into oblivion. If they are seeking for my death, it will be one that shall never be forgotten, and the tale will live on through the annals of history. If I die, then my clan dies, along with as many Wardens as I can take down with me!"

Rastha's talon traveled to the hilt of the sword strapped to her back. "And what if I try to stop you?"

"Then you will die too," Korzen's hand mimicked hers.

"Somehow," Rastha's deft claws popped the snaps on two thick bands of leather that held the sword within its sheath, "I doubt that."

The master vampire chuckled. "What are you going to do, little sister? You've not the power, and I am a little more difficult to kill than the average hunter."

Rastha drew the sword slowly, allowing both opponent and audience to get a look. When the gallery gasped in shock at the sight of it, Kain found himself leaning forward involuntarily to get a closer look. The style and construction were familiar enough. It looked like it could have been one of Vorador's earlier works, but the blade was atypically straight. For a vampire the size of Korzen it would have been a short sword, but in the hands of the comparably smaller Rastha, it was a considerable length. Its appearance was also impressive. The cross-guards curved a little towards the core of the blade in two twisted points, like the horns of a demon. In a way, it was similar to the Soul Reaver, as the hilt was adorned with a set of skeletal eye-sockets and fangs, though the shape was not the skull of a creature Kain had ever seen.

"You!" her brother's shocked whisper was a loud as a shout in that spellbound antechamber. "You stole Umah's sword!"

"Quite the contrary," Rastha replied smugly. "She gave it to me. After her failed attempt to imbue it with a demon's soul, she imparted it to me for safekeeping, just in case something should happen to her. Despite the fact that she didn't like me, she thought me trustworthier than you, or at the very least, that I would guard it responsibly. Now," she settled the blade easily in her palm, "I know its not a Reaver yet, but I would pit this blade against yours any day, and we both know how fast I am. Are you willing to risk giving the Scions no fight at all when they come for you?"

Several of the nearby vampires took cautious steps back from her, their faces studies in shock. No one had ever dared to stand up to the master this way, short of an Elder.

Rastha didn't wait for her stunned sibling to respond. "Listen up, younglings," she announced, her voice echoing off the rafters, as her Persuasion bled into the air. It was not strong enough to affect Kain, but the younger vampires were seized by its influence. "If you wish to leave, (and I highly recommend that you do), then Korzen will not prevent you. If he tries, I will stop him. The Scions will be here in less than," she checked her wrist-device again, "One minute and thirty seconds. Now flee, while you still can!"

There was a moment of hesitance before most of the assembled vampires obeyed, almost as one unit, save twenty or so standing on the lower level next to their master. These wore armour and had the look of bodyguards.

Styx glared at his elder sibling. "You traitorous bitch."

"Oh, like I really care what you lot think of me anymore." Rastha watched the last of the crowd disappear into the upper levels before sheathing her sword, ignoring the others as they drew theirs. "Well, my work here is done. I hope you folks enjoy the last… thirty seconds of your pitiful lives. I'll see you on the other side, eventually; if you don't get impaled on a Reaver that is." She turned her back on the aggravated vampires, and strode towards the nearest wall, beneath where Kain was standing.

"Get back here!" Korzen bellowed at her, bringing his sword up over his head and stepping in her direction.

"I don't think so." Rastha dodged and loosed one of her enormous jumps just as the blade came down. She caught onto the railing of the third level, only feet from where Kain stood, as the gigantic sword smashed into the column, shattering large chunks of carved masonry away from its base.

"Hallo, milord," Rastha gave him a cautious smile as she swung her legs over the wooden railing. She glanced down at the throne and dais below where her brother was screaming his fury up at her. "You ready? The show's about to start."

"How do you know that?" Kain inquired. She was apparently unconcerned by her enraged sibling.

"First off," she checked her bracelet again. Kain finally caught a glimpse of the time-keeping device on the band. So that's what she kept looking at. "Hunters are very punctual. And secondly, can't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The helicopter. Listen." She held up a claw for silence, and several of the vampires on the floor below had stopped to listen too.

It took a few seconds for him to detect the steady, thrumming thunder that was gradually growing louder, as whatever was making the noise came closer and closer. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he heard a strong wind begin to buffet the glass of the skylight and a vague black shape mounted with bright lights blotted out the stars.

Rastha began to count. "Five, four, three, two and one…"

At 'one' the glass shattered and a tornado of spinning air whipped through the chamber, sending the silk curtains fluttering wildly. Ropes dropped through the ruined windows and humans began to slide down them. The moment a vampire guard stepped forward with a drawn weapon there was a loud 'pop', and he slumped to the ground, his shoulder ripped wide open. The fight began in earnest the instant the first hunter touched the floor. The hunter was clothed in thick, black garments and the cloth armour that was the style during this age. Kain's personal insignia, the stylized version of Kain's original family crest, was emblazoned across their backs, blood red against the black leather harness and dark fabric.

Five more descended in rapid succession, ignoring the gale of bullets that rained down on their nearest opponents from above. The ammunition did little more than distract the vampires, fending them off long enough to allow the Scion hunters to gain their feet. The ropes detached from the flying device when the last hunter touched ground and the six hunters paired off, one equipping a sizeable gun and using it to push their prey backwards, the other drawing a sword. One hunter in particular caught Kain's attention, the sword the human wielded a familiar repeating-curved shape that his keen eyes immediately picked out. He could not see the human's features as all of the Scion hunters wore domed helmets that obscured their entire face from view. The three with the firearms put their backs to each other for protection, firing into the crowd of over twenty vampires, while the blade-wielding hunters plunged into the fray. Kain couldn't help his incredulity. Watching them brawl was one thing, seeing a Bloodline hunter in battle was something else altogether. Not only were these humans abnormally strong and quick, but they also performed their duty with perfect simplicity, conserving their energy. There was no pride or bravado, none of the display he was used to seeing. Their techniques were efficient and brutal, and within moments of the battle's start, three heads rolled across the floor.

Projectiles bounced harmlessly off of Korzen's expertly crafted armour, his sword rising to lash out at the nearest human, the one bearing the serpentine blade that had caught Kain's attention. But when the master vampire's blade descended, the human reacted just as quickly and stepped a little to the side, raising his own sword and deflecting the blow into the floor by his foot. The instant he was able, the hunter brought his sword up, whipping it across the vampire lord's face, going for the vulnerable eyes. Even with his longsword, he could only reach Korzen's cheek and jaw-line, but he did manage to spray blood in the vampire's eyes. There was no such thing as a fair fight between these two enemies.

Seeing that his opponent was momentarily blinded, the hunter reached into his belt and pulled out a large capsule of water, throwing it to smash squarely into the vampire's inclined face. Korzen screamed in agony as the water ate away at his flesh, and this time he was well and truly blinded. But he still towered over his human opponent, his chest cavity armoured and his neck well out of decapitation range.

The hunter didn't appear to be overly concerned, and he wasted no time dropping lower to the ground to test his unusual blade against Korzen's thick steel greaves. The cutting edge only penetrated a centimetre or two, doing little or no damage. Acting purely on instinct, the hunter darted backwards just in time as Korzen thrashed his blade about wildly, seeking the tiny annoying creature that had hurt him so. A bullet ripped out the vampire's ear, but the injury was ignored.

By that time, Korzen was only one of five vampire combatants left standing. Kain was shocked to notice that not one of the hunters had fallen, or been injured in any significant way. The most grievous injury apparent was a deep cut on the wrist of one of the swordsmen. The injured hunter had pulled away from the fight, his other companions more than occupying the four remaining vampires, as two hunters had dropped their guns and taken up blades, and bullets continued to be fired downwards periodically from the flying device hovering overhead. He looked at the battle still raging between his captain and the vampire lord, and decided to lend a helping hand.

Though wounded, the human tied a length of discarded rope to his sword-hilt, reversed his weapon so that it lay flat against the forearm of his undamaged hand, and took a great, running jump. While it was not the leap of a vampire, it was still suitably impressive, far exceeding what most humans were capable of. The human had latched onto the back of the thrashing Korzen, and plunged the steel into the gap in the vampire's neck armour, driving it into the torso as far as it would go. He released his hold on the vampire and wisely dove out of the lord's attack radius, but not before tossing the end of the rope to his captain.

With another three vampires dispatched, two more hunters left the main fight and joined the Scion captain, hauling on the end of the rope in order to drag the large vampire's un-armoured head into striking range. But the master vampire was having none of that, and despite their best efforts, he was steadily pulling them backwards while he struggled to recover from the acid-like burns on his face.

The rest of his defenders were dead now, and Kain noticed Rastha stiffen unconsciously when Styx's head was finally lopped off from his shoulders. Her talons dug channels into the already much-abused wood. He could feel the hatred radiating from her, but he was not sure if it was aimed at the Scions, or at Korzen.

Now the attention of all six hunters had turned to the master, and five of the inhuman bloodline hunters were trying to wrestle the stubborn vampire to the ground, without success. The sixth, injured one, had pulled a weapon from a pack strapped across his back, a type of firearm that Kain hadn't seen before. Just as Korzen had recovered enough to distinguish what was going on around him, the human dashed forward, levelled his barrel, and fired at the lord's right knee. The joint looked like it had exploded, a sodden mess of burnt scraps of flesh and fractured bone. Korzen cried out in surprise, crashing onto his left knee as the momentum from the rope embedded in his shoulder carried him forward.

"Now comes the end of it," Rastha whispered, more to herself than to Kain, as if she had forgotten he was there.

The captain gave a shout of encouragement, and as a unit, the Scions set upon the vampire, pinning his arms to the ground with their swords while their captain used his now-glowing, twisted blade to hack at Korzen's neck. The vampire lord gave one last bellow of fury before his head finally came free, rolling across the floor to lie among the corpses of his children and brethren. The vampire hunters didn't stop their assault at first, caught up in the energy of the moment.

Kain glanced over at Rastha's impassive face as Korzen's body was systematically mutilated, and couldn't help feeling disgusted. She appeared completely immune to the death of what had once been her nest-sibling. He had valued the lives of all his children, unless they betrayed him of course. But even by his terms, her reaction was callous. "You don't seem very moved by your brother's death," he remarked dryly.

"Of course I care about it!" Rastha snapped, baring her teeth at him. She wasn't impassive, she was very angry, in fact. Then her face softened and her expression became apologetic. She had not forgotten Kain's threat. "He was my brother," she said by way of explanation. "My nest-mates rejected me, not the other way around. He would not have accepted my help even if I had felt inclined to offer it, but I feel sorry for him. I've been in that position more than once myself, but I was lucky enough to live through it. A Scion's wrath is not an easy thing to endure."

Kain sensed a long story there, possibly more than one, but he was not in the mood to listen to this female's far-fetched tales. "The one with the Reaver is in charge. Am I correct?" He was eager to have this adventure over with.

"Of this unit," Rastha nodded in agreement. "The one with that sword is a Warden, as opposed to a Guardian, which is what the trainees are called. You can tell the difference because Wardens have a band of stripes on their sleeves, indicating their rank or skill within their Clan. Sentinels rank above Wardens, and are the elite. They forsake stripes and instead wear a thick band of material with the family's crest around their upper, right arms. The young one you're so interested in, he's got his seventh stripe, which means he's one stripe away from becoming a Sentinel. I think that's one of the Scion heirs apparent, one of the twins. That's why he's got a Reaver. Why are you so interested, my lord?"

But Kain ignored her gentle question. The action occurring below had taken an interesting change. Lights were turned on and the Warden captain had regained control back over his troop. They were now sorting through the piles of gore for the heads of their victims, lining them up into one long row through the middle of the battleground, while the one with the powerful gun stood guard, just in case there was any more hostile undead lurking about. A signal was sent up to the machine Rastha had called a 'helicopter', and the vehicle moved off, leaving the skylight clear and the room bathed in a deathly silence. Once they were moderately comfortable with their environment, the hunters began removing their helms, and Kain could finally make out bits and pieces of their conversations.

"I hate confirming kills," the one with the gun commented in his captain's direction as he pulled the offending piece of equipment from his head. His voice was a hollow echo in the tall, resonant chamber. "I always feel like some sort of barbarian when I'm doing it, as if I'm mounting their heads for prizes. It's not like our reputation isn't scary enough." His hair was a pale blond that glinted in the artificial light, but Kain couldn't help but feel the young man was familiar from the little he could make out of his face and voice.

"Don't be soft," the Scion captain rebuked his injured companion, removing his own helm. A tail of long brown hair fell onto his shoulders and he was fiddling with a strange device the size of his hand. "Aunt Mari will be glad enough when she sees the pictures. It might alleviate her sorrow. Delia was your step-cousin too, not just mine." For a little time, a solemn stillness reigned between them, before the captain continued on with a lighter tone, "And you want to get paid, don't you? We need to confirm the numbers we take down to receive payment for them." There were flashes of light as he moved down the row, pressing the device to his face as he tried not to slip in the patches of congealing blood.

"Speaking of numbers," the other commented, allowing the barrel of his gun to drop casually. He was favouring his wrist. "Somehow, I expected more of them. Korzen had one of the biggest clans in Nosgoth. I thought we'd be swamped for sure, but we didn't even need the second helicopter. Where'd they all go?"

Kain peered down at the humans, trying unsuccessfully to see more details. They were just too far away, the angle was wrong, and the round walls distorted their voices so badly they were barely recognizable as human. He would have to actually go down there if he was to investigate thoroughly.

"That would be my fault!" Rastha called down to them unexpectedly, forcing the Scions to jump, and Kain to whip around to look at her so fast he felt like he had dislocated half the muscles in his neck. The one with the gun reacted fastest, training it in her direction before anyone else had moved. She waved at the humans below in a friendly manner.

"You'll be in deep shit if you fire that gun, little Scion. I suggest you put it away. My compatriot and I are the only vampires left in this building, and we mean you no harm." Her voice was reassuring and he could feel another careful, deliberate use of Persuasion to force the human to calm down.

The blond hunter hesitated, staring at her intently before shouldering his weapon altogether. "Its cool, guys," he said in response to their questioning stares. "Its just Rastha." At the name 'Rastha' several of the hunters heaved sighs of relief and sheathed their weapons, settling down as if they hadn't just routed a nest of dangerous vampires.

Rastha smiled in smug satisfaction at their reactions. "Is it safe to come down?" she asked.

"Sure," the hunter replied. "Though I can't see why you'd want to." He jerked his head in the direction of the carnage.

"Thanks. I just wanted a quick chat." Rastha turned to a small stairwell that Kain hadn't noticed, leading down to the lower levels. Before she could get more than two steps, however, Kain's talons lashed out, catching her elbow in a painfully tight grip.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he hissed in fury. The urge to kill her had never been so strong.

Rastha must have been able to sense that, because she cringed on instinct, despite her calm assertive words. "I'm sorry for not clearing it with you first, my lord, but I am used to acting independent of control. Calling down to them to let them know we were here just seemed a much better plan than sneaking up and getting shot for our troubles. Have you ever been plugged with a shotgun before? I have. Its not an experience I would care to repeat."

Kain continued to glare at her, seething in impotent rage. The truth was, he wasn't really angry with her, but angry that he had to _rely_ on her. She was right of course, it was the most logistical course of action to take, and knowing that made him all the more furious. In his previous adventures he'd been the one to lead the way, to head the charge, but in this realm he was forced to relinquish control in order to get what he wanted. Relying on anyone was a repulsive thought to him. The concept was too foreign and uncomfortable for him to grasp.

He forced his claws to release her. "Lead on then," he said, swallowing his resentment.

Rastha paused a moment to inspect the bleeding marks through her jacket before shrugging it off and continuing on as if nothing had happened. She could sense Kain's inner conflict and was careful not to aggravate it. She guided him down the short maze of stairways to the bottom floor, hoping that by the time they reached the end he would have cooled his blood a little. It was always safest to meet a Scion with a level head. If not, you risked loosing it.

(Finally, some carnage and Kain is not even involved. Don't worry folks, Kain gets to test his metal against the Scion hunters in the next chapter, so that aught to work off some steam. I wonder if vampires can die from aneurysms… The meaning behind the title is also revealed in the next chapter too, in case you hadn't already guessed it. Brownie points to anyone who can deduce what Rastha used to be before she was a cop. Until next time!)


	7. Chapter 7: The Twins

**Post-Defiance Fan Fiction: Mirrors of Balance**

**By: Dragonaia**

**Disclaimer: **The Legacy of Kain games belong to Eidos, not to me, much though I may wish it. The OOC involved in this fiction belong to me however: Rastha, Kainen/Kaye, the Voice, and the few secondary others. My retribution will be swift and horrifying.

**Author's Comments: **You're probably all pretty eager to get down to business, so I'll make it quick. Excuses for my extended delay are written in my profile, so I won't list them here. In regards to the story, let's all remember folks, that Kain and Kainen are essentially the same person, just with very different meat wrappers. Hence, why the fight turned out the way it did.

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Twins**

By the time they reached the bottom level of the throne room the five able hunters had already finished stacking the bodies in a neat pile at one side of the room. The captain oversaw the chore with a dispassionate attention for detail. Kain thought for a moment that the vampires were about to be cremated, but that couldn't be possible, could it? They'd burn the whole building down around their ears.

At a nod from their leader the other hunters scurried backwards from the headless corpses, and the Warden pulled a slip of rolled paper from his pocket. He popped the wax seal and threw it to land on the gruesome pile, where paper and bodies included suddenly ignited in a blazing fireball. The flames licked upwards, but not once did they touch the floor or anything other than the flesh of the vampiric corpses. The heads were thrown onto the blaze where they were enveloped into the heart of the fire by eager, burning arms. All except for Korzen's head, which was packed carefully in a padded box for later transport and loaded into the backpack of one burly hunter. Rastha was careful to avoid looking at him.

"I see Mari Scion's spells are coming along quite nicely," Rastha commented as she strode onto the circular stage and stepped beside the gun-wielding hunter, quite as if Kain was not there. He chaffed at the disregard, but decided to hang back by the shadowed archway and observe the proceedings before plunging headlong into them. Kain may be impulsive at times, but he was wise.

"She's proven to be a real asset," the young hunter agreed. "Especially since she figured out how to store an effect on paper. It's like having a competent sorceress to back you up, whenever and wherever you want it, and at more than one place at the same time." He hadn't seen Kain yet, but from this distance the vampire could make out the hunter's profile.

It surprised Kain that so many of these hunters were as young as they were. The eldest was a Warden no older than thirty; the youngest was the blond that Rastha was speaking to, who couldn't have been more than eighteen years old. The hunter with the serpentine blade was still monitoring the fire at the other side of the room, and Kain couldn't get a good enough look at him yet. Something about the blond one had attracted Kain's attention, however, and Kain found himself staring at the youthful face, trying to discern where he knew it from.

"Hey," Rastha remarked, trying to indulge in small talk in a valiant effort to ignore the stench of her relatives' rapidly burning corpses. "You earned another Warden stripe." She nodded in the direction of the three red bands on the man's shoulder.

"Yeah," the hunter agreed. "It will be forever until I catch up to my cousins though." His triumphal air had dissipated, and he had the grace to look uneasy and a little guilty in her presence. It was one thing to forget yourself in the heat of battle. It was another thing altogether to do so while a relative of the person you were killing was watching. He was spared any more awkward attempts at conversation by the captain's shouted question.

"What does Lieutenant Rastha want this time, Magnus?" The captain was glancing over his shoulder and had decided to rescue his compatriot.

Kain started at the name, and tried not to gape. _Magnus? It couldn't possibly be!_ But the harder he stared, the more he came to the conclusion that his first impression was the right one. The bone structure of the face was correct, the shape of the eyes, the set of the shoulders. It was difficult to determine because this Magnus was so young and wasn't a vampire, but it likely was one of his long-dead, original lieutenants. The only one who'd remained loyal to him, in fact. It appeared that even in this parallel life, Magnus was destined to serve him.

"What are you here for?" Magnus asked Rastha. "And where's the friend you were talking about?"

"Umm," Rastha appeared nervous now as she tried to explain. Kain didn't blame her. She was trapped between him and a troupe of vampire hunters. It amused him that she chose to face the hunters rather than him. "See, that's what I'm not sure about. He's an Elder that says his name is Kain, sorry, _Lord _Kain, and that he wants to have a chat with you Scions. I haven't a clue as to why, though he does wear your insignia."

"What are you talking about?" Magnus demanded, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Kainen, come here. I think you need to hear this!"

The hunter glanced back over his shoulder again, and ordered his other men to disperse and search the throne room as he began to walk in their direction. "This had better be good, Rastha," the hunter grumbled, brushing droplets of vampire blood from his uniform in a business-like manner. While Magnus had the decency to look subdued, this hunter didn't appear to care about Rastha's obvious discomfort in the proximity of her butchered family.

Rastha continued on in the friendly manner that Kain was fast realizing she used with everyone, quite as if she could not see the gore and rapidly disintegrating corpses. "Oh, calm down, Kainen. I'm not here to step on your toes. I just want to talk. There's this elder vampire that Toroth ordered me to look after, and if I'm not mistaken, he'd very much like to meet you in particular, little Warden."

"Why?" the young man stepped closer to her, his arrogance fast dissolving.

"The hell if I know." Rastha shrugged her shoulders helplessly. This just really wasn't her day. "Well, my Lord Kain," she called back over her shoulder, trying to draw him out from the shadows of the curtains. "You have their attention if you'd like to have that conversation with them now."

Kain studied the two hunters standing with Rastha for one long moment before he stepped into the full light of the room, pushing the female vampire aside as he moved to stand in front of the captain. He towered several inches over the young man's head.

"Dismiss your men," Kain directed him quietly, "And we will have our talk." He ignored the puzzled and alarmed glances Rastha and Magnus were exchanging with each other.

The captain gazed back at the Elder vampire just as steadily, arms crossed over his chest as he considered the vampire's request. Finally, he turned his head without breaking his gaze. "Everyone but Magnus spread out through the building in teams of two, and check for any pockets of resistance. Remove them if necessary."

"But sir!" the nearest man protested, gawking at the Elder vampire, "We can't leave you here by yourself! What if…"

"Those are your orders, obey them," Kainen snapped harshly, before his voice softened. "Don't worry. I've got Magnus to watch my back, and even Rastha might feel inclined towards lending a hand given the circumstances. I'll be fine. Go on now, and do your duty."

The men reluctantly agreed, assembling their equipment and leaving the bloody and glass-strewn room. Kain nodded his head once in satisfaction as he saw the last one disappear into the nearest hall. "Excellent."

He gave no warning before lashing out with his talons to take the bloodline hunter by the throat, dangling him in mid-air to examine him in greater detail. He peered through narrowed eyes at a face he hadn't seen since the days of his youth, so very long ago. It was a miracle he even remembered that time, let alone the features that used to stare back at him from the reflective surface of a mirror. Years of evolution had even altered the structure of his face, bones appearing larger and harsher than they had those millennia passed. Even his increased size and stature skewed the comparison, especially since the young man had yet to fill out into the full muscle of adulthood. Kain had been in his late twenties when he'd been murdered and remade at the hands of the necromancer Mortanius, and the Warden before him was just barely entering that period of his life. But even with all those reasons why he should not have done so, Kain still recognized his own face. Keen, dark brown eyes were set amongst strong features with high cheekbones, a determined jaw and a stubborn chin that Kain could not deny echoed his own. The youth's hair was not as long, the tail drawn low behind his head with the tip resting between his shoulder blades.

"The resemblance between us is uncanny," Kain muttered under his breath.

Even with such a powerful grip bruising and nearly choking the air out of him, the hunter did not appear alarmed, though Kain's words did startle him. "Pardon me?" he croaked the words between gasps.

Kain titled his head in a considering manner before answering. "I said, 'the resemblance between us is uncanny'. Believe it or not, if I were still human, you and I would be nearly identical." Kain did not elaborate further, continuing his perusal of the human adolescent.

There was a metallic click, and Kain finally turned his head to see the barrel of the weapon Rastha had called a 'shotgun' aimed at his cranium. This momentarily concerned him, until he detected a flicker of movement as the vampiress ripped the weapon from Magnus' hands.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, pulling the injured hunter back from Kain by the scruff of his neck. "Don't shoot him!"

"Why?" the hunter exploded, snatching the weapon from her unresisting grip, but he hesitated to level it again.

"You might wing your cousin," Rastha clarified, a thread of Persuasion coming into her voice. "Just let it play out."

"Oh, I believe that," Magnus snapped, though he was careful to keep the shotgun pointed downward, taking her advice to heart. "And it has nothing to do with the fact that you want him to finish the conversation so you can figure out what's going on?"

"Hell yes," she agreed without shame, "But you still might accidentally hit your cousin. Besides, he's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

Kain was pleasantly surprised that the lieutenant had taken the initiative to prevent herself and the hunter from being drawn into the confrontation. It made his chore all that much easier.

"Look, you albino freak," Kainen had finally gathered enough oxygen to speak more than two words. "Put me down." The harsh wheezing tone alerted Kain to the fact that he was clenching the human's throat too tightly, and he loosened his talons a little. He disregarded the human's rudeness to be dealt with at a later time. Sucking in a bigger mouthful of air, the human continued with more force, "Are you insane? Do you have any idea who I am? I am Kainen Scion, one of the heirs of my Bloodline. Elder or not, you've already seen what can happen when you threaten my family."

Kain chuckled in dark amusement. "I'm not planning to kill you, young one. Were that the case, you'd already be dead. No, I have need of you and your unique abilities, and as it stands, you are to be coming with me when I depart this place. The more you resist, the harder you will make this on yourself."

The Warden laughed right back. "You think so, vampire?"

"I do."

Both combatants eyed each other menacingly, only to be interrupted by a nervous cough. Kain turned his baleful stare to Lieutenant Rastha.

"Sorry to intrude, my lord," Rastha piped up nervously, "But I feel I must ask this. What do you mean by 'depart this place'? Where are you intending on taking him?"

Kain considered before answering. What did it matter what he said? He already had what he came for. "My homeland," he replied simply.

"You're not from Nosgoth?" Magnus jumped in with his own question.

Seeing his alternate's confused expression, Kain realized he would have to explain eventually, and if it would shut his interrogators up, he would do so now. He lowered Warden Kainen's feet to the ground and eased the pressure around the human's throat a little more, though he did not release the lock his talons had around the hunter's oesophagus. A little civility wouldn't hurt him in this situation, but he was no fool.

"No, I am from Nosgoth."

"But you said-" Magnus began before Kain cut him off.

"Just not _this _Nosgoth."

There was a long pregnant silence.

"Time travel?" Rastha asked. Her brow knotted in confusion. "What!" she protested upon seeing the harsh glares the two hunters shot her. "Don't give me that scandalized look. It's theoretically possible! I don't see you two coming up with any bright ideas!"

"Close enough," Kain shrugged. He was not in the mood to deal with these strange people and their mannerisms. His Nosgoth may be corrupted, but at least it was familiar, and predictable.

"Well, as fun as this conversation has been," Kainen wriggled in Kain's grip as he tested the Elder's strength and began to reach for his sword. The weapon was similar to Kain's Reaver, but in place of the full skull, the hilt was smaller and set with an embossed circular representation of a fanged skull on one side, a partial glyph of the Scion family on the other. "I'm afraid I must be leaving. I hope you enjoy the rest of this delusion of yours. I expect we'll be seeing each other again real soon, this time in a more official capacity. I admit I'll be looking forward to it."

Kain scowled at the human, but said nothing. The boy would see the truth soon enough. There was no sense wasting time and effort on a lost cause. He reached over the human's shoulder, ripped away the harness holding the sword to the human's back, and flung it away across the room. That action earned him a hatred-laced glare.

"I don't know about that 'delusional theory' of yours, kid," Rastha cautioned the Warden, placing a warning hand on Magnus' shoulder. "He seemed pretty lucid on the way over, and he's very strong. Maybe it would be best to play along, just for now."

Kainen shot her an incredulous glance before turning his attention back to Kain. "I don't know what things are like where you are from, sir, but around here kidnapping is a capital offence. What possessed you to think I would just come along quietly on this little adventure of yours?"

Kain's grip tightened in an unsubtle threat. "I can be very convincing when I need to be, boy."

"Uh-huh." Kainen rolled his eyes. "Well, as much as I'd love to hang around with you all night, I'd better get going. Now let me go." He gave a meaningful tug on the vampire lord's wrist. When Kain did not release him he let out an aggravated sigh. "Then you leave me no choice, and I have witnesses."

There was a metallic click and a knife ejected from a hidden sheath on the hunter's wrist and into his waiting palm, where he wasted no time plunging it into Kain's wrist joint, severing several crucial nerves and tendons, and slackening the vampire's grip enough that he could pull free. The human opened his palm and a telekinetic blast issued forth; slamming into the vampire elder's chest and throwing him across the room to slam into the opposite wall. Pride was abandoned in favour of survival as Kainen made an undignified scramble to retrieve his sword.

Kain pulled himself upright, brushing plaster dust from his shoulders. He was mildly impressed. He'd never possessed any visible, tangible powers until after his vampiric rebirth. It suddenly occurred to Kain that perhaps he aught to test out his alternate's abilities before bringing him anywhere. A few paltry energy tricks wouldn't get the boy very far in the harsh realm Kain wished to take him. It was time to see how developed the human's combat skills were. He watched his peripheral as Rastha, sensing what was coming, seized a protesting Magnus around the shoulders and dragged him from the dais and stage around it.

"Let's see how well you wield that Reaver of yours, boy," Kain taunted the hunter, advancing towards him.

"Well," Kainen glowered back, rubbing his aching throat as he panted to catch his breath. "Aren't we the confident one?"

"I have reason to be," Kain responded, drawing the Soul Reaver in one smooth, practiced motion. He watched in satisfaction as the boy ran approving eyes over the formidable blade, even as his hands tightened around his own sword's hilt.

While the human may have admired Kain's Soul Reaver, there was no fear in his eyes, only a morbid sort of excitement that was unnerving in its own way. "This might just prove to be entertaining," the human whispered to himself before charging the vampire lord.

While the boy hunter's attacks were neat and precise, they lacked the power that only a vampire was truly capable of. Kain could easily deflect most of the lightening fast movements, parrying with the more stunning and effective blows of his own whenever he saw an opening present itself. But those openings were few and far between, and the human, young as he was, had the fortitude to bear up under the force of whatever the vampire lord directed his way. Granted, unlike most circumstances, Kain wasn't trying to injure the human. An eviscerated corpse would not be able to serve the purpose that Kain had in mind for this particular human, and if what Rastha said about the Bloodline Hunters' immunity to the vampiric conversion was true… well, it could only pay to be prudent in a situation like this. It didn't help that the human was just good enough to make him dangerous, but not skilled enough to make an effective sparring partner. Nothing could make up for several centuries of hands-on combat experience.

It wasn't long before the hunter's mortal frailty began to make itself known; the boy's movements were becoming slower and less coordinated as time wore on. There was now a slight give whenever Kain brought the Reaver crashing down onto the human's likewise imbued sword, silver-blue sparks of luminous wraith energy dancing across the surface wherever metal touched metal. Kainen's self-assurance had eroded into wary caution, and the vampire could see the barest flickering of indecision in the veiled dark eyes. The time had come to press his advantage.

In the end, it was almost sad the way Kain easily managed to disarm and pin his human opponent beneath one cloven hoof. A flick of the hand and the boy's sword flew telekinetically into Kain's free palm, both points held to his opponent's exposed throat. The vampire emperor gloated down at his vanquished foe, studying the boy's guarded expression. There was most definitely something wrong with this whole situation. The human must have known he could not defeat an Elder, hunter or not. Why had he bothered to take up the challenge then?

"Do you concede defeat?" Kain growled down at his young likeness.

The human didn't respond in words, dissolving into a fit of helpless giggles that had Kain raising a scornful brow in genuine bafflement. Had the boy gone mad then?

"You really are an idiot, you know that," the boy chuckled as he regained control of himself and finally stopped laughing.

Kain opened his mouth to demand an answer to that statement when something so unexpected happened he almost forgot where he was, let alone what he was trying to say. A razor sharp pain shot through his calves, a burning agony that had him crying out in shock as he sank to his knees, his legs buckling out from under him. Kainen used that moment of distraction to snatch back his own Reaver and roll away before the elder vampire collapsed on top of him.

Kain managed to keep on his hands and knees, much though the effort pained him, and waited impatiently as his severed hamstrings began to regenerate. Kain was truly astonished. He hadn't sustained a wound this crippling in centuries, unless he counted the incident when Raziel had ripped his, or rather Janos' heart from his chest. While his enraged gaze was fixed on a guarded Kainen, he felt a stinging pinprick against the back of his neck from the opposite direction of the boy. The cool numbness seeping into his skin from the contact point signalled the presence of yet a third Reaver.

"This is the last time I save your ass, Kainen," a female voice ground out. "Next time you want to pick a fight with a super-vamp, leave me out of it." At first Kain assumed it was Rastha, but when he turned his head to glare at the interloper his gaze met the dark eyes of yet another hunter, and this one's face was familiar for a completely different reason.

"Why didn't you warn me about the twin!" Kain bellowed across the room at Rastha, massaging one of his healing legs to regain feeling in it.

"I did! I told you he was one of a set!" Rastha yelled back, still trying to maintain her gentle hold on the injured Magnus and keep him away from the fight. "It's not my fault you didn't pay attention!"

Ignoring her for now, Kain switched his attention back to his doppelganger's female twin. The resemblance between them was eerie, making Kain feel all the more uncomfortable by comparison. So this is what he would have looked like if he'd been born female…. It was an unnerving image to say the least. She was wearing the same uniform as the other Scion Hunters, though her body armour was shaped more like Rastha's to accommodate her leaner but fuller, female shape. Her dark brown hair was longer than Kainen's, and her jaw line softer, but her eyes were the same cunning shape and deep shade of brown, and her chin was set at a more sympathetic, though just as stubborn, angle. The Reaver she wielded was identical to her brother's; smaller, less detailed reproductions of Kain's Soul Reaver.

But her eyes were the coldest he'd ever seen on a woman, narrowing in fury as they watched his body piece itself back together. Both hunters kept their distance from him, circling the vampire as they waited for Kain to recover.

Again, Kain was confused. "Why haven't you just killed me?" he asked the closest of the twins, the female whose name he did not yet know.

"We're not allowed to," Kainen explained in his twin's place. "We don't have a hunting permit, and you and I both know that you haven't tried to kill anybody yet. If you had, I'd already be dead, or Rastha would have let Magnus shoot you. I knew I couldn't handle you on my own, and Magnus is too injured to help, so I distracted you until my sister arrived. Fairly simple really."

Kain was having a hard time following them with his eyes. They moved independently of each other, but always perfectly coordinated, like a dance routine arranged far in advance. He heaved himself to his feet; the tendons had finally repaired enough to hold his weight, though he'd be feeling that injury for at least a few hours to come. "And what would two be able to do, that one could not?"

"Why don't you come and find out," the female snapped, shifting into a fighting stance. Her twin matched her actions from Kain's other side.

Kain looked between the two humans standing on either side of his body. If Rastha's expression was anything to go by, this would prove to be a very interesting battle.

Kain hadn't worked this hard since his battle to defeat the Saraphan Lord. It wasn't that these humans were particularly powerful or skilled, it was just the way they chose to attack was difficult to evade. The twins were armed with Reavers, and with the inhuman speed accorded by their bloodline, Kain was hard pressed to keep the majority of his skin on. Already a dozen or so small cuts had been healed in the first two minutes since the fight began. They may have lacked physical power, but with both twins coming at him from opposite angles, ducking and weaving in under his guard to inflict long shallow slices that sent burning lances through his ribs, Kain had the impression that there was something distinctly unnatural about the ease with which they synchronized their movements. No sooner had he raised the Soul Reaver to deflect one blow than a second blade came up into the opening from behind, forcing him to whip around to fend off that strike as well.

Again, Kain was tied by the problem that he could not afford to kill either of these mortals. He may have been ignorant of the domestic ways of humans, but he knew that it would not go well with the boy if he injured his sister. Kain had only ever encountered one set of twins before (both female vampires) but he was well aware of the bond this kind of sibling shared. The irony did not escape him that while _he_ had lived most of his immortal existence in self-imposed isolation, his alternate had not even been alone during his time in the womb. Needless to say, the problematic circumstances made the going difficult.

The male hunter ducked a sword blow just in time, Kain's Soul Reaver clipping a few hairs from the end of his ponytail. Incensed at the near injury done to her sibling, the female twin ripped into Kain's chest, for once scoring a true blow against the vampire lord. Kain hissed in pain and backed away from both of his opponents, clutching at the folds of skin over his chest as they began to knit back together. His eyes narrowed as he considered both humans. He needed a way to end this fight as soon as possible, else someone was bound to die, and he did not intend it to be him.

The problem resolved itself without Kain's interference. A small device on the belt of the female twin activated, yowling a high-pitched alarm and flashing a bright green light. The mortals in the room froze automatically, staring at it.

"Uh-oh." Rastha was the first to react, releasing her grip on Magnus. "That's not good. Where's the emergence point, Kaye?" she called across to the human.

The female twin unclipped the device, pressed a button, and examined the glowing surface that appeared. "Right here," she gasped in shock. "Everybody get off the floor!" She thrust the small box back into its holster and rushed for the stairs, her twin close on her heels.

"Shit!" Rastha exclaimed, glancing around wildly. "Magnus, you idiot! Don't just stand there! Get to high ground!" She gave the hunter an encouraging push in the right direction before looking to Kain. "Come on sir, we have to climb!" Forsaking the stairs, Rastha used her jumping trick to gain the third level in one fluid leap. Once there, she leaned over the railing, beckoning the elder vampire to follow her. "Sir, get off the floor! It'll be here any minute!"

"What will be here?" Kain shouted up at her, his grip tightening on the sword hilt.

"An Aquanos, you fool! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Quit arguing and get up here!" The panic in her voice alerted him that something significant was about to happen, but Kain balked at the command.

"Do as she says, Kain," Raziel cautioned from within the sword. "I can sense something approaching."

"From where?" Kain glanced at the pulsing hilt of the Reaver.

"From everywhere." The wraith sounded almost frightened.

On Raziel's advice, Kain chose to comply. Unable to jump as high as Rastha, he used two controlled leaps to reach the third level, where the three hunters were already rushing the stairs to join her. The captain was speaking into one of those 'two-way radios' the whole way, commanding everyone within the vicinity to head to high ground. Whatever was about to happen, it had to be big enough that any threat he might have presented was dismissed.

He could hear human feet pounding their way up the steps and into the higher levels, and Rastha stood by the head waiting for them to gain the third floor, her talons rubbing together anxiously. Her fear appeared to be justified when the building shook beneath them. The walls and panelling cracked and spider-webbed from the pressure, while plaster dust rained down from the ceiling. Kain took Rastha by the forearm, spinning her around to face him.

"What is taking place here?" He didn't loosen his grip.

Rastha stared at him for a long moment, a flood of emotions washing over her face before she dismissed them all with a shake of her head. She knew that examining his lack of knowledge would get her nowhere, save on his bad side again, so she choose to forego her conclusion and answer his question instead. "An Aquanos is about to breach the dimensional barrier. Their home plane is underwater, so the lower levels of this building will probably be flooded. It's difficult for vampires to get close to one when they've newly emerged like this. There's not much undead like us can do except head to high ground and wait for somebody with a syringe and a Reaver handy to come by and take care of the problem."

Understanding dawned on Kain. "That's what you meant when you told your human protégé that vampires need the skills of the Bloodline Hunters!"

She seemed relieved that he finally understood. "So you heard that? Yes, that's the main reason we tolerate the hunters. Somebody needs to take care of the soul eaters, and most ordinary humans can't wield a Reaver without melting their brains, so its not like we've got much choice. Ever since the banishment of Leviathan two thousand years ago, the planar membrane has been thin, making us more vulnerable to attack than ever before. The world was gradually decaying before vampires and hunters put aside our differences a hundred and fifty years ago and decided to work together to solve the problem. I was one of the individuals spearheading the movement actually. Fifty years later we had the Aquanos population under control and a governmental reform well in the works. In the last decade we've been able, through a combination of vampiric magic and human technology, to predict their emergence points before they appear and get themselves dug themselves into a remote area, and we've been able to locate and roust even the most stubborn nests. But as time goes on they have finally realized the threat we present to them, and their efforts to wipe us out completely have redoubled. This would be the fourth breach in a month. It's a new record." A fang worried at her inky bottom lip as she watched for the young hunters. "There have been twenty-six deaths this year already, vampire and hunter. I'm not sure how much longer we can hold up under this kind of pressure."

Any comment Kain might have made was forgotten when the three young humans barrelled up the stairwell, nearly colliding with Rastha in their haste.

"ETA?" Rastha demanded without preamble.

The girl withdrew the device to study while she gave a hoarse cough into her hand. "One minute, twenty seconds and counting."

"Damn," Rastha covered her eyes and heaved an exhausted sigh. "You have enough equipment for the job?"

"I've got mine," the girl holstered the strange piece of technology and tapped a pouch on her vest. "But the boys here," she jerked her head in the direction of her companions. Both of the young males looked very guilty. "Seem to have 'forgotten' their doses."

"Oh yeah," Magnus scoffed, "Like we could've known a squiddy was going to show up in the middle of a damn hunt!"

"No," Kainen disagreed, shooting his sibling a mollifying glance. She looked ready to rip her cousin a new one. "Kaye's right. A dose isn't a heavy load to carry, and there never is any warning when the bastards show up. We should have been prepared."

"You better hope its not a big one or a single dose will never give you enough time to get close," Rastha admonished, her severe tone not quite managing to mask her own apprehension.

A spark of insight caught Kain at the word '_squiddy'_; a rising wave of suspicion grew in his mind.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Raziel asked carefully from his perch above Kain's shoulder.

"I'm afraid so," the vampire lord answered.

Three sets of shocked eyes stared at the skull-like hilt of the Reaver in disbelief, their attention immediately diverted. Rastha only glared at him in exasperation.

"You _are_ going to explain that to me one of these days," she said with a fierce growl.

"I thought I warned you-" Kain's growl was drowned out by a loud popping sound, and a spurt of salty water and foam were misted into the air. Both vampires hastened to jump away from the balustrade, just in case.

Kain's young alternate self swore viciously under his breath as a set of at least eight massive tentacles filled the chamber, dripping slime and weed. At the first glimpse of the sickeningly familiar members, the Reaver was resting in the palm of his hand, Raziel's hot anger flooding up and into his arm.

"The Aquanos really need to learn to stick to their own dimension," Kaye muttered to her twin in an undertone. She drew a long, cylindrical object, about the span of her hand, from her vest pocket, the clear liquid inside glowing a faint greenish colour, and tipped with a sharp needle.

The male nodded in agreement before holding out his hand for the weapon. "You draw him off and I'll go in deep. The vamps can't get near enough right now and Magnus is pretty much useless."

"Hey!" the young human in question protested.

"You'll be lucky if you don't need tendons re-sown," Kainen jerked his head in the direction of his cousin's damaged wrist.

"Humph," the youth grumbled, turning away to stand next his unofficial vampire protector. Rastha gave him a patronizing shrug and a smirk.

While the humans debated, Kain had taken the time to lean over the railing and look down at the thrashing monster below. He snarled in frustration upon seeing three and a half feet of water pooling there, vampire ash and blood hissing away at the contact. Rastha was right again, damn it! He couldn't get close enough without burning his feet off!

It wasn't long before the creature seemed to shake off the disorientation it must have been feeling as its myriad tentacles gathered in around it, coiling like a spring. He barely had time to duck as one of the largest unwound itself from the others and barrelled straight at him, a javelin seeking the place his heart resided, if he still had one that is. A tonne of mottled, greenish-grey flesh slammed into the wall and ceiling behind him, shattering the construction and bringing down a large chunk of the building and a shower of debris built up around him. His world was shaken, but Raziel burned with hatred within his hand, demanding vengeance and urging the Vampire Emperor forward.

**(Again, I'm **_**very**_** sorry about the delay. And yes, there was no real winner in the fight between Kain and the Twins. That was on purpose. Teehee. No one has been able to guess what Rastha was before the alliance with the Bloodline Hunters, why she was made. First one to guess gets a free preview!)**


End file.
